


Twinning With a Twist

by PersonaBreaker



Series: Twinningverse [1]
Category: Total Drama (Cartoon)
Genre: Also a bit more realistic than the show, Also no actual cutting, But no actual homophobia, Character Development, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cutting, Eventual Romance, F/F, Homophobia discussion, Hurt/Comfort, Mostly drama though, Romance, Scars are shown though, Self-Harm, Some Humor, effects of abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 233,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25027009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PersonaBreaker/pseuds/PersonaBreaker
Summary: Sammy had always lived in Amy's shadow, and with both of them joining Total Drama, it didn't look like anything would be different. But when a random occurrence happens and they get placed on opposite teams, Sammy suddenly finds herself surrounded by strangers who actually care for her. Will their influence finally be the thing that lets her change?
Relationships: Ella/Sammy "Samey" (Total Drama), Jasmine/Shawn (Total Drama)
Series: Twinningverse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2113128
Comments: 5
Kudos: 39





	1. No, Wait, Your Team is Over There

The zeppelin was blowing up and falling from the sky.

After binging every season before auditioning, Sammy really should have seen that coming.

Everyone was screaming and rushing for the crates, and certainly not looking where they were going as more than one of them bumped into her. The blimp's awkward tilting only made it worse, and her feet threatened to trip over themselves as she ran.

She somehow managed to squeeze in between the big red-headed guy and the little guy in grey, and had her sights set on two packs - one for herself and one, of course, for Amy. She secured them both, but since she'd never held parachutes before, she wasn't sure if they actually _were_ parachutes. She could only hope for the best, and pulled away from the crate with them in hand.

But just as she was about to return to her sister, she stopped in surprise. The blonde girl in pink had been standing right behind her, and was gleefully eyeing the pack in her right hand.

"Why thank you! I needed one of these," she said in a southern drawl, voice hardly giving way to any fear she might've been feeling. With a swipe of her hand, faster than Sammy was expecting, the other girl snatched the parachute and made for one of the exits.

"Wha- Hey, wait-!" The girl was already jumping before Sammy had a chance to say anything meaningful, leaving her to only sigh and pluck another one from the crate. She didn't bother checking the weight of this one, what with imminent death approaching and all, so she dashed back to her sister without another thought and handed her the one in her left hand.

"About time," Amy scolded as they both slipped on their packs. "God, why are you always so slow?"

"Someone stole one right out of my-" Sammy attempted to defend, but Amy's finger pressed against her mouth to shush her.

"I _really_ don't care," she said, and without another word ran for one of the exits.

"But, but- …Oh, what's the use?" she whimpered. Sammy followed her sister out, hesitating just a fraction before leaping with a screech.

Skydiving was _terrifying_. Too bad she hadn't done it before to get herself prepared for doing it today. She ended up falling near Amy, and the two shared a frightened look. At least Sammy had the pleasure of seeing her sister just as scared as she was.

The storm seemed to be localized only where the blimp was flying, as they all broke through the clouds and back into the sunlight. Sammy spied several of the others pulling their strings: some people got actual parachutes while others got random assortments of junk. She watched as some of it flew past her with mild shock. _Was that… a bunch of hot dogs? And actual_ live cats _?_

Sammy looked to her sister just as she activated her pack, and watched with a faint trace of disappointment as she produced a parachute, slowing her fall and separating the two of them. The roar of the wind in her ears made it difficult, but she _knew_ she could hear Amy's gloating laugh from above her.

Taking a breath and praying for good luck, Sammy pulled her own string. What came out was unfortunately _not_ a parachute, but instead a bunch of trophies and a tiara Sammy grimaced as she watched them fly away. "I don't really _feel_ like a winner right now…"

Reality caught back up to her just as fast as the surface of the ocean was closing in on her. Sammy screamed again and shut her eyes, ready for the impact that was certainly going to leave her hurting.

Though not hurting as much as she already was - it wasn't fair that Amy got a parachute and she didn't. Amy didn't even think about auditioning until she saw Sammy's tape, so why do the good things keep happening to her? And now _she_ was going to land in the water and hit a rock and probably get seriously hurt. "Why can't things go _my_ way for once?!" she called out to no one. Not like anyone would hear, or care for that matter.

She felt a forceful tug against her shoulders and noticed that she wasn't falling nearly as fast as she had just been. Sammy opened her eyes in surprise and looked behind her to see that the really tall Australian girl from earlier had grabbed her bag mid-fall. She also saw one of the other guys in her other hand, the one with a toque on his head. She guessed he didn't have a parachute either.

"OMG," she quietly said, still shocked. "Y-You saved me! Thank you so much!"

"Well I couldn't just leave you to fall," the girl said with a smile, though they were interrupted by several other people falling passed them. "Uh, can't do much for them, though."

They touched down onto the beach safely just as a few of the others did. Never in her life did she feel more relieved to be on solid ground, and she fell to her knees and attempted to control her breath. A few moments later, Sammy spotted Amy land not too far away. She unhooked her pack and made her way over to her with an unimpressed glare. "You really shouldn't have bothered saving her," she told the Australian girl. "It would've been better to just let her fall in the water. She mightn't have come out if she did." Sammy didn't say anything, and merely looked away in shame.

The girl raised a brow at her as she adjusted her lopsided hat. She sent Sammy a glance that she couldn't meet, and then back to her sister. She didn't look very pleased. "Yeah, I have a feeling we _are_ going to have a problem."

"Like I care," Amy replied, but ended the conversation by grabbing Sammy's arm and dragging her away from the two of them.

"Um, thank you again!" Sammy called back to the tall girl, but didn't try to resist her sister's pull. That's just how it worked with her twin - she couldn't fight it or else it would get worse.

Amy took her away from the others and quickly forbade her from talking with any of them, just like back at home. _Of course this was going to happen._ It hadn't even been five minutes on the island and already Amy was taking control away from her. Sammy auditioned to get _away_ from her sister, but now that they were on a deserted island together, they were going to practically be conjoined at the hip.

This wasn't going to end well at all. No matter how she pictured it, she knew that Amy was going to get her voted off, one way or another… She had no doubt in her mind that was how it was going to go down.

Just as Sammy was resigning herself to her fate of servitude yet again, though, Chris McLean, who had been on the beach the whole time, suddenly shouted into a megaphone and said, "Can everyone who actually _had_ a parachute, line up on my left?"

Sammy wasn't sure what for, and she shared a confused look with her sister. Amy hummed in annoyance, and without saying a word walked with the six others who also managed to grab the good packs. The tall girl was in that group, and she gave Amy a stern glare which her twin chose to ignore.

"That's great," Chris absentmindedly said as he checked his clipboard again. "Now, the rest of you that did _not_ have parachutes, on my right!"

As Sammy walked to the designated spot, a thought occurred to her: could these perhaps be the teams? There were fourteen of them in total, and seven in each of the two groups. Were the teams being formed now? Were they based on who managed to grab a parachute before the blimp crashed? Did that mean-

Sammy inhaled sharply. _Does this mean Amy and I aren't on the same team?!_

It seemed that Amy had similar thoughts, because now she was looking directly at Sammy with shock in her eyes, which morphed into anger. Truthfully, Sammy wasn't sure how to feel - she didn't like her sister, that was a given, so she was the farthest thing from upset, but she wasn't allowing herself to get too happy right yet. Amy could probably find a way to make her life miserable yet again, even from the other team.

"Hey, are you okay?" someone softly asked alongside her. It turned out to be the smaller girl in the beige top and tights, which were currently soaking wet; her hands were on her hips and she was casting Sammy a curious look. "You don't look so well."

 _Well, I'm nervous and anxious and unsure about myself and everything else in my life, but that's just a normal day for me._ "I-I think I'm still a little on edge from the fall. I should be fine. Hopefully."

The girl nodded slowly, but then looked to the other team. Specifically at Amy. "Oh, I think I get it," she said with a smile. "It must be weird, having your sister on the opposing team. Sorry that it ended up like this."

Sammy wasn't sure how to respond at first. She didn't want to make it seem like she was ecstatic that her sister wasn't on her team, because that would be rude. But at the same time being disappointed would be straight up lying, and lying wasn't something Sammy liked to do unless the situation demanded it.

"I- Um, I think this might be the best outcome, actually," she decided to say.

The other girl seemed perplexed by this response, but didn't get a chance to follow up on it as Chris started speaking again.

"These will be your teams going forward," he told them, though he was looking straight ahead into a camera. "On my left are the guys who managed to snag parachutes from the crates. Scarlett, Topher, Rodney, Jasmine, Max, Sugar, and Amy."

She quickly tried to memorize their names, most importantly Jasmine's. She sent Sammy a smile and a nod, and Sammy did her best to return it. It didn't feel as confident as Jasmine's looked.

"Your team name will be the… _ahem_ … 'Pimâpotew Kinosewak', which is Cree for 'Soaring Eagles'!"

"Um, no, sorry, that's not right!" the smaller girl suddenly interrupted, hand raised as if in class. "Pimâpotew Kinosewak translates to, ah, 'Floating Salmon'."

"Oh!" Chris was genuinely surprised by this. "Then I guess you guys are the Floating Salmon instead." All of the other team grumbled at the change. "Now, on my right: everyone else! Shawn, Leonard, Ella, Dave, Beardo, Sky, and-" Sammy sucked in a large breath. "- _Samey_." And just as quickly let it out in disappointment.

After being accepted for the show, she quickly figured that this was going to be a fresh start. She had been excited when she thought she'd be free of it, but I seemed like she was going to keep living forever as _that_ _name_.

But no. She had to try something, something to get them to realize that she didn't like it. This _was_ going to be a fresh start, one way or another, and she'd make sure of it.

"U-Um," she tried, hesitantly raising a finger. "Actually my name is… _Sammy_."

Chris looked up from his card with a quirked brow. "Amy says everyone calls you Samey."

She winced. It was really hard to fight back against people, and now it was more so, what with an audience of literally _millions_ . "Well… I mean, that's _true_ , but-"

"Because you're the second twin," he continued. His stare felt like he was looking right into her nervous heart. "The lesser Amy, if you will."

That was _also_ true, but it didn't really help matters. "B-But… It's not my name. My _real_ name is-"

"Enough!" Chris suddenly shouted. Sammy recoiled at his tone instinctively. "From here on out, you're officially Samey. End of discussion!"

Sammy wanted to keep speaking up, to keep defending herself. She had been suffering for so long and she just wanted it to end. But like always, she couldn't do it. She couldn't raise her voice. She could only let it happen to her again and again.

She didn't even hear Chris give their team name. Something to do with bears, according to Sky. She only looked back up when Chris walked away and Amy approached her with all the smugness of an evil queen prepared to execute a peasant. And honestly, that's what it always felt like with her.

"You know, it's actually a _good_ thing we're on separate teams," she said a little too loudly. "You'd only be slowing _my_ team down. Now we're guaranteed to win all the challenges."

"Whoa, hey," Sky interrupted, getting in between the two of them. "That's uncalled for! She's your sister, why would you say that to her?"

"You don't know her as well as I do," Amy said, that smile never leaving her face. "It's clear that she's just going to make you guys lose. I'd vote her off as soon as you can, if I were you."

Any further discussion was cut short by Chris bringing everyone's attention back to him somewhat farther inshore. He was now at the top of a large pile of junk and garbage, and was impatiently waiting for everyone to gather around him. Sammy was grateful for the interruption - she didn't need Amy getting her team to turn against her already.

According to the host, there weren't any shelters or other facilities on the island (besides the confessional, which wasn't really cause for celebration), which meant that for their first challenge, everyone had to take something from the piles to be used in making their _own_ places to sleep. All the while being shot at by Chef Hatchet, with a tennis ball minigun.

"Your challenge begins… _now_!"

The second Chris said that, Chef opened fire. Sammy had to cover her face to avoid being blasted right in the nose, instead allowing her arms to take the brunt of the pain. Those tennis balls were definitely leaving bruises on her arms later.

"Bears, follow me!" Sky's voice cried out over the screams of the others and the whirring of the gun, and Sammy followed her team away from the common area and behind a large outcropping of rocks. She found herself hiding behind a larger one with Beardo, Leonard, Shawn and Ella, while Sky and Dave were close by behind another one. "Everyone take a look around!" Sky directed. "If you see anything good, grab it and bring it back here!"

"Yeah, what she said!" Dave called out, surprisingly enthusiastic about their current situation. "Such a good plan! I, ah, have a bit of dirt on my hands, but it's good! We're good! Let's follow Sky's plan and win!"

"…Riiight," she replied hesitantly.

"What would be good for building a house?" Ella asked to Sammy's right. On the other hand, she didn't seem all that concerned. "Would some nice blankets and pillows be good? We wouldn't want to be too uncomfortable while we slept."

"Forget comfort!" Shawn shouted, springing up from the back. He seemed a combination of pumped and terrified. "If there's no main lodge, we don't get grub! And I will _not_ be going hungry when the zombies find us!" He leapt clear over the outcropping and expertly dodged all the balls Chef sent his way.

Sammy watched him duck and leap towards the garbage heaps. "Did… Did he just say zombies?" she asked the group. Ella shrugged and made an 'I dunno' sound, though it sounded a lot prettier than Sammy had ever heard it before.

"Never fear, my fellow island compatriots!" Leonard said as he forgoed the cover and rose to his feet. "I shall vanquish the vile villain of the Isle of Wawanakwa of old and allow us the opportunity to scavenge for materials!" He reached into one of his long wizard sleeves - _Why exactly was he in a wizard's robes anyway?_ \- and produced a small stick that Sammy assumed was meant to be a wand. "Your turn has ended, Chancellor Hatchet! _Breaken Downen!_ "

As improbable as it was to happen, Sammy eyed the machine gun spewing the tennis balls, and was completely shocked when smoke and sparks _actually_ burst out of it.

"Oh neat! It worked!" Leonard cried, pumping his fists in the air.

"That- that was just dumb luck!" Dave called out to him.

He didn't let that deter him. "Say what you will, nonbeliever, but our time has come!"

"How wonderful!" Ella cried with clasped hands. "I think I'll go ahead and get us something good!" She daintily hopped over the rocks and briskly walked towards the pile.

She really only spoke a few words to Ella, but she seemed nice, and so Sammy decided that the right thing to do would be to encourage her. "Good luck! And be quick, Chef might fix it soon!"

"She's got nothing to worry about," said Shawn as he popped out from the bush alongside her.

" _What the-_ " Sammy nearly shrieked and fell over. "When did you-"

It was like he didn't even notice she screamed. "As long as she dodges them with the reflexes of a cat, she'll be fine."

Ella stopped walking for a second as she noticed something on the ground. When she bent over to pick it up, Chef had managed to fire off a few more balls that flew straight over her back.

"See? No problem," Shawn said with a smile.

"I… guess so?" Sammy said slowly.

He pulled himself out of the bush and fell on his face, but got right back up again without a word. "Anyways, I managed to get some soup," he said, holding up a single can. "Now we won't be going hungry tonight!"

Sammy quickly read the label. "Cream of broccoli? Could be… worse…"

Shawn blinked and read the can himself. "Aw man, are you serious?!"

"Okay, guys, we need to start focusing!" Sky called out to them, causing Sammy to jump.

 _Ah, right, I need to do something before they start thinking I'm dead weight._ Though chances were they were probably already thinking that.

She hastily scurried over to Sky and Dave and peaked out alongside them. "W-What should we look for?"

"Something for building a shelter," Sky replied. "It doesn't have to be actual house material, but if we get something that can keep us safe through the night then we should be good."

"Good news, everyone!" Ella suddenly announced as she returned to the team carrying a bundle of quilts. "I found us blankets to keep us warm while we sleep!"

"Nice, Ella!" Sky congratulated, helping her up over the rocks.

"I _would_ have brought back a bucket of some very colourful glitter, though," she said with a touch of disappointment in her voice. "Unfortunately one of the Salmons took it right from my hands! It was an awfully rude thing to do."

"That… is probably for the best," Dave mumbled.

"So, um, who's next?" Sammy asked. "I-I can go, if you need me to."

Sky put a finger to her chin and looked at the team, specifically the people who had yet to make a run yet. "Alright, I have a plan!" she said with a grin. "Dave and Leonard, you guys get Chef's attention and draw his fire while Beardo, Sammy, and I look for something. Sound good?"

Dave was a bit skeptical of this plan, but Sammy was kind of distracted Sky having called her by her _real name_. She was wondering if that was on purpose, but then thought better of it. No, it was more than likely a slip of the tongue. Chris said she was officially Samey and it was highly unlikely that anyone would get it confused.

"You good with the plan, Sammy?" Sky asked, interrupted her thoughts. She was looking right at her, as if waiting for a reaction.

_...Oh. Okay, maybe it wasn't a fluke._

"Oh, u-um, yes, sorry!" she quickly nodded, and couldn't help giving a shaky smile. "That's a good plan!"

"I still don't really know…" Dave said doubtfully, slowly standing up to get a look of the common ground.

"Alright, _go_!" Sky cried, and pushed Dave over the rocks, causing him to shriek. "Leonard, you too!"

"As you command!" he shouted and followed Dave. They started yelling and waving their hands, one more enthusiastically than the other, and almost immediately they began getting pelted by tennis balls.

" _Now_ ! Let's move, guys!" Sky vaulted over the rocks and broke off into a sprint towards the mountains of junk. Sammy looked to Beardo, who nodded, winked and made a rather accurate _ding_ noise along with it, and took off after her. Sammy, still nervous, inhaled deeply and followed. Thankfully, the plan managed to work, somehow - Chef was busy firing at the guys while the three of them made it behind the nearest pile and away from his line of sight.

"Beardo, you stay down here and look through the stuff at the base," Sky instructed. He stood at attention and saluted while making a whip-like sound. "Sammy, you're with me further up."

She nodded. "Okay!"

"Remember, we're looking for materials, supplies, tools, and so on. Anything else along those lines is perfect. Let's go!"

Sammy climbed up alongside Sky and started digging through the junk closer to the middle of the pile. A lot of the stuff in there was broken, useless, and just plain out of place (like a _space satellite_ ), but a lot of it could also be used for something like… walls, possibly. There were large wooden planks and metal sheets that were definitely sturdy enough to hold the weight of a ceiling. Some were rotting and rusted, sure, but it would probably get the job done. Maybe. Hopefully.

"What about these for walls?" Sammy asked their team's unofficial captain. "There's a lot here that we could easily use."

Sky examined some of them and nodded. "They're perfect! Send them down and we'll carry them back when we're done here."

"Right," Sammy said, and quickly started sliding them down the pile. "Beardo, incoming!"

His head shot up from his search and he moved out of the way with the sound of a klaxon just as the boards and sheets landed on the ground. Moving them aside, he grabbed a piece of rope that he had been apparently working on, and started pulling on it to free it from underneath the pile.

As he did so, Sammy continued to send down pieces of wood and metal (away from him of course). There was a suspiciously large amount of it here, but considering they needed to make shelters that was probably the point.

"Hey, uh," Dave's voice called out from the other side of the pile. Chef was probably focusing on the other team at the moment. "I found a hammer? Will that work?" He was holding it by the handle with only his index finger and thumb. _Guess he really does have a thing against germs._

"Yes!" Sky shouted back, but didn't look up from her search. "We're going to need some nails for it though. Anyone see any? Or something to substitute them with?"

 _Oh crap, that's true._ Without nails, the walls won't be stable enough to hold anything and could easily fall from the weight. Forget holding them in place, they'll topple over in seconds. How didn't she think of that first? _Stupid, stupid!_ "Nails… nails…" Sammy started looking around her designated spot for anything that resembled nails or screws, but came up short. "I might go check somewhere else. If, um, if that's okay?"

Sky looked down at her, and then at the pile of wood and metal she made at the junk heap's base. "Absolutely," she said with a nod. "I don't think we have much more time though, so make sure you're speedy!"

"Got it!" Sammy slid down the pile and ran past Beardo, who was _still_ trying to find the end of rope from underneath the pile. She chose another pile at random and started scouring through as much as she could as quickly as she could. She couldn't afford to slow down, not this early in the game. It may have been the adrenaline pumping through her veins, or maybe it was the fact that Sky had actually called her by her proper name, but Sammy was feeling _much_ more invigorated than she had been back on the beach. She could probably do this, if she kept at it.

…Emphasis on probably. Time would tell if she actually pulled through.

Unfortunately, nails didn't seem to be a part of this pile, or at least the surface of it. She could tell that they were running out of time, as a quick glance to Chris told her that he was counting down the seconds on his watch. She groaned and planned to move on to the next pile, but didn't get a chance as someone grabbed her hand.

" _Ah!_ " she yelped and tried to pull free. She stopped, however, when she saw who the hand belonged to. "O-Oh. Hi? Um, Jasmine, right?"

"That's right," she said. She had a smile on her face, so she probably didn't have any bad intentions. "And you're… Samey, yeah? Or was it Sammy?"

"It's _Sammy_!" she said reactively, and covered her mouth with her free hand. "Uh, sorry, I mean, it's… Sammy."

"No worries. I figured as much," Jasmine said with a chuckle. "Hey, were you just looking for nails? Couldn't help but overhear."

"Yeah, we are, but I can't find-" She stopped herself when she spotted something in her arms. A whole lot of somethings. "Wait, are those… boxes of nails? Where did you…?"

"On the other side," Jasmine said, tilting her head towards the front of the pile. "Whole crate full of 'em. I only took what we needed so there's still plenty left." She let go of Sammy's arm and jumped down to the ground, causing a noticeable _thud_ when she landed. "You didn't hear that from me though, yeah?"

Sammy quickly shook her head. "N-Nope! I didn't hear a thing." Quietly, she added, "Thanks though!"

Jasmine tipped her hat and ran off back to the Salmons' spot, leaving Sammy to wonder why the heck her enemy just helped her out. It was so… _weird_ , having people support you and not try to screw with you. First Sky, now Jasmine... Regardless, she helped and that was that, and that'd probably be the last time. Sammy would have to repay her somehow, that was for sure, but for now she had to focus.

She climbed up and over the pile, spotting a giant box with its top wide open. Peering inside, she grinned at the abundance of smaller boxes filled with nails. She took as many as she could carry and slid back down to the ground. Just as she did so, though, Chris's air horn sounded out and nearly caused her to drop the boxes in surprise.

"It's building time!" he declared. "Everyone gather your supplies and go find your designated areas!"

Sammy rushed back to their meeting place and laid the boxes out on the rocks. Examining her team, she saw Sky, Beardo, Leonard and Dave all helping each other carry the boards and sheets she freed up. Dave had his hammer placed on his boards and was eyeing the wood like it was about to attack him, while Beardo had finally managed to get all that rope free and had it slung over his shoulder.

Ella and Shawn were returning as well, and they seemed to be carrying a large block of straw. "Look what we found!" Ella said as the two of them dropped it on the ground. "This could be nice pillows, or for sleeping on!"

"Look at all this stuff, guys!" Sky said happily, looking over their materials. She patted the wood and the sheets. "We have enough of these to make a decently sized shelter. And if we need to, we can put the straw on the roof in case we don't have enough."

"Um, I got some nails," Sammy said quietly, holding up one of the packs.

"Awesome! Glad you found some." Leaning down to pick up her pile of planks again, she motioned to everyone and set out. "Let's go, Bears! Time to build us a shelter!"

Everyone cheered, and Sammy joined in with them. With the amount of stuff they managed to scavenge, morale was decently high. They might be able to get a win out of this yet.

* * *

"We are _not_ doing a wizard's tower."

Or, maybe not.

"C'mon, what's the harm? I'll even enchant it so it'll grant us the most comfort, and give us a full rest!"

"Ooh, yes yes yes! I second this! Ahh, this is so exciting!"

"Uh, no no _no_ ! No wizard's tower! We need to make something… I dunno, _normal_! Shawn, back me up here."

"I actually don't care either way. I don't plan on sleeping with a bunch of people who could turn into zombies in the middle of the night. Thanks, but I'll be just fine in a tree."

"...O...kay? Uh, Sky?"

"Dave, if it's what the team wants, what right do we have to argue? Besides, _something_ is better than _nothing_."

"But- Ugh, Samey, please, for the love of everything clean, tell them their plan is a mistake!"

Sammy grimaced and glanced from the desperate Dave over to Leonard and Ella. They had such hopeful looks on their faces… _But a wizard's tower? That's… probably not going to work._

"I, um, I'm really sorry guys, but I think I have to agree with Dave." They're faces immediately began to fall, and Sammy waved her hands to keep that from happening. "N-Not that it's a bad idea! It's just, not… um, practical? For this sort of… situation. I think we need to build something that's closer to the ground and isn't so… v-vertical."

"And what does it being so tall have to do with anything?" Leonard asked, clearly on the defensive. "The shape won't affect its base constitution!"

Sammy wasn't really sure what that meant, but she felt herself crumbling in on herself regardless. "I-I just think… if we make it too high, something like the wind could easily knock it over." Her voice was quickly losing its volume, and soon she was speaking in nothing more than a whisper. "That's just… my thought, though. Y-You can ignore me, if you want."

"No, no, Sammy makes a good point, actually," Sky interjected, placing her hands on her shoulders and squeezing them comfortingly. Sky was a _lot_ nicer than Sammy thought anyone on her team would be.

"Wait… really?" she asked.

"Yes, really," she said with a happy smile. "Besides, Chris is going to be the judge of this, isn't he? We need something that'll impress him. Not something that'll make him laugh or mock us, and I'm sorry to say it but a wizard's tower might just do that."

"Oh, yes," Ella said, hanging her head sadly. "I had forgotten that detail."

"Curses!" Leonard said with a snap. "The Dread Lord McLean continues to reign his terror over all that is righteous."

"Can you just… _stop_ ," Dave said bitterly, though Leonard didn't seem to hear him.

"Then what are we making?" Shawn asked Sky, arms crossed. "We're on a bit of a time crunch, remember."

"Right, I know," Sky said with a hand to her chin. "I think… I think the simplest solution is the easiest. Let's make a house. Four walls, a roof, and we can pile up the dirt on the bottom to keep it from swaying over in the wind. Does that sound good to everyone?"

Beardo raised his hand with a whistle and a loud _bong_ when he extended his thumb upwards.

"I'm okay with that," Sammy said hesitantly.

"The dirt part doesn't sit well with me, but that's better than anything else suggested," Dave said with a roll of his eyes.

"Alright, that's four votes! Let's get started, people!"

Everyone started dragging their supplies a little ways away to get more room, and Sammy found herself uncomfortably walking next to Ella. She seemed disappointed by the development, and Sammy couldn't help but feel sorry that she made her feel like that.

"Hey, um," she ventured, fully expecting to be ignored but was surprised when Ella looked at her. "I-I didn't mean to sound rude earlier. I just wanted us to have the best shot at winning. I'm sure a wizard's tower would be awesome, but maybe not in a place where so much can go wrong in a short amount of time. S-So, um, nothing… personal?"

If she wasn't going to ignore her, she thought for sure that Ella would be mad with her and tell her off. So she was quite startled when Ella smiled at her and shook her head. "Oh, goodness, it's alright! While it _would_ have been a sight to behold, I can also see the need to want something a bit more… ah, reliable. Besides, do you know how often wizard's towers fall to pieces in movies? That could happen to us if we build one!" Ella nodded and readjusted her grip on the straw. "Yes, this course of action is for the best, I believe. So no harm done." Her smile became a lot warmer than what it already was, something that made Sammy feel somewhat at ease. "You don't have to worry about a thing."

Sammy swallowed hard. No one had ever told her she didn't have to worry. No one had ever passed up the chance to get upset with her when she did something against them. Amy was always at her heels with that sort of thing, and whatever friends her sister had would always join in if they were around.

But to actually have someone be nice to her, when they had every reason _not_ to be? That was… unheard of.

_But also so damn relieving._

Work on the shelter began immediately once they found the perfect spot. Sky oversaw the general construction of it, and provided the nails to Beardo as he hammered them into the walls (while also making comical sound effects with every hit). Said walls were being provided by Sammy, Shawn, Ella and Dave, and all were doing their best to find pieces that fit the best with what they had just placed.

Leonard was trying to help. The key word being 'trying'.

" _Floatus Poatus!_ " he yelled at a single piece of wood, pointing his wand at it and waiting expectantly. Nothing happened though, which, to Sammy's surprise, surprised Leonard. She watched from one of the incomplete walls as Leonard stared down at the plank, flabbergasted. "Aw c'mon, it worked for the tennis ball blaster!" He shook his wand and eyed it dubiously. "Why's it on the fritz now?"

"Because magic doesn't exist!" Dave yelled at him from inside the hut.

"Nonsense!" Leonard said back to him. "That's just what they _want_ you to think!"

Shawn poked his head out from inside. "Wait, they do?!"

"They absolutely do! Otherwise the world would have been overrun with powerful, rogue sorcerers long ago!"

"Seriously?! Aw, man, now I've got _more_ things to be on the lookout for…"

Aside from that little distraction, the construction was going smoothly. Ella opted to sing everyone an encouraging song to help team morale, but pretty quickly Dave grew annoyed (which seemed to be a running theme, Sammy realized) and told her to stop.

"I just wanted to lift everybody's spirits," she lamented as she and Sammy picked up a few more sheets of metal. "I didn't intend to anger anyone."

"He's just… having a rough day, I think," Sammy said in an attempt to console her. "I don't think he likes germs, and, um, these supplies all came from a junk heap so they may not be the cleanest."

"I suppose you're right…"

Ella remained a bit more pensive for the rest of the challenge, and though Sammy wanted to make her feel better she honestly didn't have the words. One doesn't suddenly become an expert on cheering people up when they rarely had anyone around that needed cheering up. Or when they were not able to cheer _themselves_ up. If anything Sammy could provide negative comments, as she was well-versed in that, though this hardly seemed like the time or place.

Before long the hut was done. The walls were up, the roof was in place, the base covered in dirt, and blankets placed on the inside to keep the team from being stiff while sleeping. The straw was put over the roof to keep it from leaking rain water, and the rope was tied around it in an attempt to keep it steady. It wasn't the greatest thing ever made, and Sammy was sure that if they had more time and resources they could've done better, but they did what they could with what they were given, and honestly she was rather proud with what they managed to make.

"Now, allow me to cast a spell over it to ward off any dangers!" Leonard told everyone as he raised his wand.

Dave loudly grumbled and pressed his palms into his eyes, and Sky gave a long sigh but remained patient. Sammy stayed quiet as well and just let him go about his thing.

Ella was enraptured though. "I can't wait to see it in action!"

"Behold! _Sentinental Defendental!_ " He flicked his wrist and swirled the wand in the air in the shelter's direction.

To her left, Sammy noticed Beardo bring his hands to his mouth and make whimsical, magical noises, in time with the swishes of Leonard's wand. It almost sounded like the wand was actually doing magic, though of course there weren't any special effects or anything.

At this point it wasn't much of a shock anymore, but Leonard believed it all the same. "Oh my gosh!" He cried, and turned to the rest of them. "Did you hear that?! It worked! It actually worked!"

"Wow, it did?" Dave asked in the most deadpanned voice. He eyed Beardo, who was silently laughing behind his hands. " _Incredible_."

" _Now_ who's a nonbeliever?" Leonard asked tauntingly, causing Dave to grumble even more.

"I don't know if you should encourage him," Sammy whispered to Beardo. He thought about it for a moment before shrugging nonchalantly.

"Not bad!" came Chris's voice from up above. Sammy looked up and saw him descending from the sky in his jetpack. "A nice little shack in the middle of nowhere is just what these rough outdoors needs."

"So, what happens now?" Shawn asked him.

"Now we judge! Team Kinosewak has already finished their shelter, so I'll need you all to come to the specified clearing over yonder for the critiquing. Although…"

Sammy gulped. _Oh no._ _That never leads to anything good._

"Quick question before we go."

Everyone glanced at each other out of nervousness. "And what's that?" Dave hesitantly asked.

"Is your shack moose-proof?"

A pause. Then Sky asked, "Is it… _what_ now?"

"Uh, guys?" Shawn said quietly. He was bent down on the ground, his hands and ear to the dirt. "Something's not right."

Sammy could feel it too. It almost felt like an earthquake. The ground was rumbling, softly at first but then it became thunderous. Trees started shaking and birds and smaller animals darted away in fear. Sammy quickly realized though that this wasn't an earthquake - the sounds of multiple pairs of hooves could be heard in the distance, and they were getting louder, and louder, and-

_Oh. Moose-proof. Now I get it._

A giant herd burst through the trees nearby and were charging right towards them. Everyone screamed and high-tailed it out of there as fast as they could. Sammy dove into a few bushes that were hopefully out of the herd's way, with Shawn and Sky right behind her. The roar of the stampede rushed by her, and Sammy didn't dare look up until the sound was growing quieter and quieter. Soon, it was gone completely, and she let herself exhale in relief.

"E-Everyone okay?" she asked as she poked an eye through the leaves. When the coast seemed clear she fully emerged, and was thankful that she managed to spot each of her teammates likewise coming out of the shrubbery.

Except Leonard it seemed. He chose to hide behind the shack. Which… was still standing?

"We're all okay," Ella said, though still clearly shaken up. "And... it looks like our shelter is as well!"

"Wow, talk about being lucky," Shawn said, scratching his head. "Can't believe they didn't bust right through it."

"Well _obviously_ it was because of the warding spell I cast!" Leonard declared, standing up from his fetal position and crossing his arms triumphantly. "You see? My powers saved our new home!"

"That was amazing!" Ella cried as she approached him. At least he had one fan.

From behind her, Sammy heard Dave slowly and painfully let out a breath. "Is anyone else incredibly frustrated by him or is it just me?"

"He's… starting to get to me, too, actually," Sammy mumbled back.

"He's certainly staying in character for this whole thing," Shawn said.

Chris came back down, was further impressed that the shack managed to stay upright, and directed everyone to a clearing in the center of the island. The trek there was mostly uneventful, with no one really saying much of anything.

Her inner voice wasn't exactly making her feel better about it though. _Shouldn't be surprised no one wants to talk with me._

They soon found themselves in a small expanse with two logs facing each other, and Kinosewak had already claimed the one farthest from them. Everyone took a seat on the vacant log, with Sammy sitting at the very end. She did her best to ignore the haughty look her sister was giving her but it was very difficult to do so.

"You know," Chris started when he arrived, "I'm actually kinda surprised. For a bunch of amateurs your shelters are pretty decent! However, only one team is able to win the challenge, and for that…"

He paused for dramatic effect, and Sammy found herself holding her breath.

"...I'm going to have to go with Team Pimâpotew Kinosewak's treehouse!"

It took her a moment for that to sink in. … _Treehouse? They built a_ treehouse _? Of course they would win with that, that's much more creative than a cruddy little shack!_

Sammy released her breath in a groan, along with the rest of her team. The opposing team all cheered, and it felt like a knife through the heart every time she heard her sister's shrill laugh.

"I told you you'd lose with her!" Amy called out. Sammy didn't reply - _couldn't_ reply - and just opted to wrap her arms around herself.

"To make up for the fact that the lodge was lost in our previous season," Chris explained, "each winning team will be allowed a meal from one of our sponsoring take out restaurants."

"So we don't get anything, huh?" she heard Dave mumble off to the side. "Just wonderful."

"Good thing I got that soup when I did, huh?" Shawn asked.

"That's… not out of date, is it?"

"No idea. But you don't have the luxury of being picky during the zombie apocalypse, so you gotta take what you can get."

"…Perfect."

"Team Waneyihtam Maskwak!" the host said. _Wait, is_ that _our name?_ "Please make your way to the outhouse confessional before sunset! It's time for you all to vote, because _one_ of you losers is going home tonight!"

 _Our first challenge, and we're already losers…_ Maybe she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up after all. This was bound to happen, with her on the team. Amy was right, she really was dragging them down. Maybe if they had just gone with the wizard's tower they wouldn't have lost and wouldn't have to go hungry tonight… and she wouldn't have to be sent home.

The teams were dismissed and everyone walked back to their shelters. Sammy once again stayed at the rear of her group, although now there was a different reason for her mood.

An elbow jabbed into her arm, surprising her out of her stupor. "Hey, don't listen to what Amy said," Sky told her on her right. Sammy hadn't even noticed her fall back to walk with her. "We didn't lose because of you, we just had a bit of bad luck."

That was a lie. Sammy was sure of it. "It's… kind of hard to not listen to the person who's been on your case for every day for years," she chose to say.

Sky frowned. "Why is she like that?"

Sammy shrugged. "She's been really mean for as long as I can remember. I've stopped asking because she refuses to tell me. Now I'm just kind of… used to it, I guess."

"That… isn't something you should _have_ to get used to though."

"I know," she said. "But I am." She wasn't liking this conversation, so she left it at that.

Sky was trying to look for something to say, though. With a lowered voice, she asked, "So… who are you voting for tonight?"

 _Aside from myself?_ "I… haven't given it much thought. What about you?"

"I've been thinking about it since the challenge started, just in case we didn't win. If we're going to work as a team from here on out, we need to remove our weakest link. The team can only go as fast as its slowest member, so the person who doesn't pull their weight and doesn't contribute should be sent home."

She'd overheard some of the football players on their school's team mention something like that before. "Makes sense, I guess. Who were you thinking?"

"Leonard."

That was... expected. "You sure?"

"Positive. He keeps thinking he's a magician or whatever, and he was the only one who didn't actually find anything in the common area. And the wizard's tower _really_ wasn't a good idea, but I didn't have the heart to tell him…"

 _Huh. So not everyone is out to get me? Gosh, maybe I'm being too hard on myself. Again._ "I see what you mean. I… I guess I'll vote for him too." It was a more appealing alternative than booting herself off, anyway.

Sky smiled up at her. "Okay, good. I'll talk to the others and see what they had in mind. Thanks!" She started walking a bit faster to catch up with them, but stopped and turned back to her. "Oh, and also? Good work out there, Sammy. You did a lot to help today."

She ran up ahead and left Sammy to her thoughts. Was Sky actually being nice to her? She complimented her, called her by her real name, had gone out of her way more than once to make sure she was feeling okay… She'd never had anyone say _all_ of those things to her before. Mom was always so busy with work and barely had time for her, and Amy… well, that was obvious. But for the first time in her life, Sammy was feeling… not happy now, but there was a tinge of it there somewhere in the disorganized mess of her head and heart.

Maybe this was the start of something… better.

She shouldn't get her hopes up.

* * *

"Um, okay," she said to herself. She was in the confessional, the rank stench infiltrating her senses and the camera awkwardly taped to the back of the door. She wasn't really sure what to say at first, but the best place to start would be the obvious, right?

She spoke about her sister, how she wanted to get away from her but only managed to bring the both of them on the show. She talked about how awful she was, and now how _weird_ it was that Amy was there on the island, but also not around her. It felt like she was an odd little presence in the back of her mind, but when she turned around she was never there. It had thrown Sammy off more than once already.

She talked about her team, about their quirkiness but also the fact that most of them were very welcoming of her. Sky was very supportive and a great leader, Ella was cute and excitable, Shawn was odd but also well-meaning and focused, and Beardo was funny and pretty relaxed. Dave seemed to get annoyed easily and didn't like dirt, but Sammy was sure there was more to him than that. And Leonard as well, though he really hadn't given himself a chance to show his better qualities.

It was… surreal, to say the least. She had never expected that so many people would be willing to support her, much less _tolerate_ her. It made her upset that no one back home was as willing to even look at her. She'd probably be in a much better place if she only had someone to talk with.

But, she was getting distracted and taking up too much time talking. She needed to vote.

"I'm sorry, Leonard, but I'm voting for you," she said sadly into the camera. "Sky and Shawn are athletic enough to carry the team in physical challenges, and myself, Ella, Beardo and Dave all helped at _least_ a little bit with the gathering and the building. You… you didn't do all that much. Geez this doesn't feel good at all. But, um, that's my decision. I'm sorry. Again."

A kind of lame way to finish it - _Amy probably would have called me out on it, ugh_ \- but the job was done. She wasn't happy that she had to send someone home so early, but that was how the game worked.

By the time she had gotten around to using the confessional the sun had begun setting; now it was just dark enough that it was hard to find her way around the forest. Thankfully some of the camera crew and interns directed her towards the campfire ceremony, where the majority of her team already was.

She took a seat in the front, between Beardo and Ella, and nervously played with her hair as they all waited. Sky _did_ say she'd talk to the others about it, but the negative side of her brain kept telling her that there was still a chance _she_ was the one going home. She supposed the vote tonight would prove whether or not she could actually trust these people… and possibly anyone in general.

"Goodness," Ella murmured quietly, "I don't believe I've been this anxious since my first play."

"It… _is_ kind of tense, isn't it?" Sammy said back to her. It reminded her of the times when Mom had to come to school because of something bad Amy _claimed_ she did when in reality it was Amy's fault to begin with. It was not a good feeling.

"It is, yes," she replied. "But… we'll be fine! I'm almost positive no one voted for us!"

"R-Really? What makes you so sure?"

Ella thought for a moment, but ended up shrugging. "I don't know. I just have a good feeling."

"Oh." Sammy wondered what it'd be like to be so excessively hopeful and upbeat. "Maybe. I guess we'll see."

The remainder of the team were not long arriving, and Sammy watched Leonard take his seat with a surprising amount of confidence. _Does he just not… realize that he made himself a target? Is he that lost in his own head?_

"Welcome to our brand new elimination area!" Chris said, himself appearing shortly after the entire team did. "It is here that we determine who gets to compete another day, and who gets a one-way ticket back home!" He looked at each of them in the eyes, and Sammy squirmed under his gaze. "After going over the votes, we have come to a conclusion." He held out his hand without looking, and Chef Hatchet placed on it a tray of marshmallows - six in total, of course. "These marshmallows represent life. Should you receive one, you're safe… _for now_. Should you not… well, you probably weren't going to win anyway. The following players are safe:

"Sky."

" _Yes_!" She cheered, and caught her marshmallow with ease.

"Shawn. Dave. Ella."

Each of them did the same, and Sammy felt the butterflies begin to flutter faster. She lowered her head to try and calm her breathing, but it was a challenge.

"And _Samey_."

Her head shot up, and she just _barely_ managed to catch the snack between her palms. She let out a shaky breath and silently thanked Lady Luck that she was still around and watching over her.

Ella placed a hand on her shoulder and offered her another comforting smile. "Told you so," she said with a wink. Sammy returned the smile and nodded, hoping that her cheeks didn't flush _too_ noticeably.

"Two people are left," Chris said, indicating towards Beardo and Leonard, "yet one marshmallow remains. Beardo-" The hairy guy jumped at his name and visibly gulped. "While you helped out your team, you also did so with unnecessary sound effects. Cool in some places, but not here. And some people seemed to find that _very_ annoying."

His hands shot to his mouth and he cast a worried glance over the rest of his team. Sammy herself didn't find them annoying, but she kind of could tell which one of them did.

"And Leonard," Chris continued. He started wringing his hands in fright. "You think you're a wizard, and almost got your team to make a shelter that was really, _really_ stupid." He pulled at the hem of his hat and drew it over his eyes. The host seemed to revel in berating him. "Also, you did even less than Dave in helping win the challenge. And that's saying something."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Dave called out, but didn't receive an answer.

"The last marshmallow of our first elimination ceremony goes to…"

He really enjoyed drawing out the answer and making the last two squirm in their seats. Now that Sammy knew that she wasn't voted off - _for now_ , she reminded herself - she had a strong feeling she knew who was. And after a few more painfully slow minutes of watching the two boys sweat bullets, they had their answer.

" _Beardo_."

He let out an immense sigh of relief at the same time that Leonard gasped. Catching his prize and holding it up in one hand he made a little jingle-like song that sounded vaguely familiar, but quickly covered his mouth again when Dave groaned from behind.

"Impossible!" Leonard shouted as he stood from his seat. "I need to go back and make this right! _Time Reversal-_ " He paused midway through his… casting, and looked at everyone on his team as they gave him exasperated looks. With a sigh he lowered his wand and sat back down dejectedly. "Aw, forget it."

"... _Right_ ," Chris said. "Anywho! This island, and this season, are called 'Pahkitew', which I'm sure our resident Cree player can translate for us."

Sky hastily swallowed the half a marshmallow she was eating. "Explosion. Or exploding. Take your pick."

"Exactamundo! And it's for this reason that we thought that our newest method of transportation home should be something with a _bang_." He looked to the side. "Chef?"

"Oh, I've been waiting for this." Chef Hatchet gleefully cracked his knuckles and approached Leonard. He picked the wizard up, easily tossed him over his shoulder, and headed down a pathway off to the side. Leonard didn't try to struggle, but he also didn't say anything as he was carried away.

"You guys sit tight here for a minute," Chris said as he followed them. "This won't take long."

Sammy was only mildly confused at the waiting, but she felt that at this point, she'd be fine waiting for the rest of the night. She was even fine with Chris calling her by _that_ name - she was too elated to care about it at the moment.

"That guy _really_ knows how to create tension," Shawn noted when Chris was out of sight.

"He hasn't been the host of five seasons for nothing," Dave replied.

"It wasn't the most pleasant of experiences," Ella said. "Poor Leonard…"

"I tried telling you that we needed to cut off the weakest link," Sky told her. "I'm sorry we had to do that to him. But we need to think of the team as a whole, and he would probably keep dragging us down if he stayed on."

"I'm aware," Ella told her. "And I may have had a feeling this was coming. It just… feels so _mean_ to force someone to leave like that, you know? I'm not quite sure I like it."

"Get used to it, Princess," Shawn said as he stood. "We're gonna have to do that with every loss we take. Besides, you should have already known that when you auditioned."

"I… suppose so, yes."

Sammy frowned, and placed a hand on Ella's leg. "If it's any consolation, I wasn't happy doing it either."

She looked at Sammy's hand, and then at her face. "It is, thank you," she said with a gentle smile.

"Alright peeps, get your butts down here!" Chris's voice called from down below.

They all made their way down the path and were greeted with Chris and Chef grinning at them. Just behind them was something large, covered by a blanket. Leonard was nowhere to be found, which Sammy found odd, but realized that whatever was under the blanket he was probably in there.

"Now!" Chris called out as Chef gripped the cloth. "Without further ado, allow us to introduce to you this season's humiliating way home!" Chef hauled the blanket off. "The _Cannon of Shame_!"

Sammy gasped at what she was looking at. It was big, painted in red and white stripes, and aimed directly _away_ from the island. That thing _had_ to have the firepower to blast someone right back to the mainland. That was definitely incredibly dangerous, and probably illegal in some countries.

Leonard poked his head out with a worried look. "Couldn't we have gone with the catapult from season four? That was _way_ more in my element."

"Of _course_ that's what he's concerned about," Dave grumbled.

"That was only a rental!" the host called back to him. "Besides, there's nothing 'explody' about a catapult. _This_ is much more epic."

"You, um, tested this, right?" Ella asked.

"We did!" Chris answered her. "Extensively, even. One in four interns made it out okay, which is one of the better results we've had."

"Oh," she replied with a frown. "How lovely."

"Anyways," he continued. "Leonard! Got any last words for the people who kicked you from the game?"

"Just a few!" He sounded kind of cheerful for someone who was just betrayed. "While my time here was short, I had fun and met a wonderful band of adventurers. Fare thee well, and may I meet you all again in the _AETHERRRRRRRRRRRR!_ "

The cannon exploded and shot him out, sending him off into the night sky until Sammy could no longer make him out. His voice carried for some seconds longer before fading entirely.

"Whew!" Chris said as he wiped a brow. "Thought he'd never leave." He signed off on the episode, emphasizing the season's name, and then started leaving along with Chef. "Better rest up for tomorrow, kiddies! You've got more pain coming your way!"

The team shared uneasy looks at that prospect. Obviously, no one was looking forward to it.

* * *

It was weird that someone who she'd seen all day was suddenly _gone_ in a heartbeat. _At least he's not dead_ , her mind provided.

There had been seven of them at the start of the show, and now there were six. They were one man short, and at a numbers disadvantage against the Salmons. She would have to work her butt off from here on out to ensure she didn't mess up and become a target herself.

She still felt bad, despite it all. There wasn't anything good about taking away someone's chance at winning. But, she had to keep reminding herself: just as Sky said, it was for the sake of the team. The slowest member needed to be removed in order to bring everyone up to where they could be. And Leonard was that member.

She had seen the entirety of this show to know that was the norm. So why didn't it sit right with her?

"Um… you guys?"

Sammy stopped in her tracks at the voice. It didn't belong to anyone she knew, and the others seemed to think the same as they started looking around. Sky's eyes fell past her and settled there, and Sammy followed them to see Beardo standing still, with his fingers shyly pressing against each other and his head looking towards the ground.

"Beardo?" Sky asked. "Was that… _you_?"

"Y-Yeah," he said, and wouldn't dare meet their eyes. Sammy hadn't seen him as nervous as this since they got to the island, though that was only a few hours ago all the same. "So, uh… I'd just like to, y'know," he coughed and cleared his throat, "apologize. For being… annoying."

They were all silent as he rubbed his head. Sammy hadn't found him annoying, and Ella seemed to share that sentiment. "You weren't," she told him, approaching him slowly. "None of us were annoyed by you."

Dave said something, too low for him to be heard, but Shawn jabbed him in the ribs in response.

"No, I saw how some of you looked at me," he said quietly, rubbing his arm. "Some of you were getting upset. And… I'm sorry, I really am. It's a nervous habit. I-" He stopped and fidgeted. He was clearly struggling speaking, and Sammy felt her heart go out for him. "I get shy real easy, especially around new people, and I sorta… make sounds as a way to calm myself down. Only problem is they tend to get really bothersome. I try my best but they just slip out, y'know?"

Getting ridiculed for something that he had little control over? That was sort of relatable. _To an extent, probably._ "I-I wouldn't vote you out over that. That wouldn't be fair," Sammy said to him.

"For real," Shawn said with a nod. "But since you know what's causing it, maybe now you can adjust it."

"Yeah, exactly," Sky said. "As long as you know how you can change, just work on that and no one will have an excuse to be mad at you."

"Unless you mess up in a challenge and make us lose," Dave said flatly. Now Sky shushed him, though less violently than Shawn.

"I've tried to change, but it's hard," Beardo said glumly. "I'm fine with people I know, but new folk are scary. No offence."

"None taken," Ella assured him.

"Change… doesn't come easy," Sammy found herself saying. "I've been trying to change for years and it almost never works. But… if you keep at it, you're bound to do something right. …Right?" _At least that's what I keep telling myself_.

"Yeah…" Beardo gave her a small smile. "That helps, you know? A lot. So, uh, thank you." Sammy smiled back at him, happy that he was able to relate as well.

"That's great, but are we done here? I need some more soup," Dave said, turning back around in the direction of their shack.

"Dude, you _had_ your share," Shawn said as he followed, "and I'm not dividing the rest anymore, we all need to be in peak condition for when the zombies attack."

Dave grumbled. "Sounds like _you're_ the one who needs to change."

They started lightly arguing, and Sammy couldn't help but laugh a bit at it. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so relaxed around other people. It was incredibly relieving, to say the least. She knew it wasn't going to last - the game wouldn't allow for it to happen, after all - but she could still enjoy it nonetheless.

They reached their shelter, made a quick campfire, and had the rest of their soup for dinner and a small batch of fruit for dessert. It wasn't… _bad_ , but she'd definitely had better. Once the food was gone, they all wished Shawn a goodnight before he scaled a nearby tree. After everything that happened, Sammy was ready to sleep where she was standing. She wasn't looking forward to not having a proper bed, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

She laid down on her blanket, tried to get comfortable, and shot her eyes open when she heard the boys doing the same right across from her. Thankfully, Ella had the idea to use the spare blanket left over from Shawn as a divider for their one room, so when she saw Sky pulling it across she settled back down and tried to fall asleep.

Her last thoughts before falling uneasily were full of hesitant hope that tomorrow would be better. She thought this so often, though, that it was more out of habit than anything else.


	2. Another One Eats the Grease

After a night of restless sleep, and tossing and turning more times that she could count, Sammy awoke to the sight of Ella sleeping soundly beside her, a smile permanently etched on her face. Her first thought of the day was that Ella was as serene and peaceful asleep as she was when awake. Sammy was a little jealous that someone could be so cheerful and well-put-together at the same time, both conscious and unconscious.

Her second thought of the day was, _I really need to pee_.

Exiting the shack as quietly as she could, she made her way for the confessional outhouse. The smell of damp grass from the rain overnight infiltrated her nostrils, though it helped to wake her up more. The morning sky was light, and the sun was still relatively low, so she figured it was somewhere closer to six or seven o'clock. She wished they had found some mattresses or pillows from the junk pile, as lying on a blanket alone wasn't enough to help her get a good night's sleep on the cold, hard ground. _Then again, Dave would probably just complain about how dirty those would be, too_.

She found the outhouse and quickly relieved herself, making sure to switch the camera _off_ so as to avoid any future embarrassments. As she was making her way back, intent on finding a dry rock and watching the sun rise, she jumped when Shawn actually, literally hopped from a tree and landed right in front of her. " _Agh!_ " she cried out, tripped over her own feet, and fell to the ground. She had to fight to control her breathing, and when she did she sent an alarmed look to her teammate. "OMG, Shawn, don't scare me like that!" she shouted up at him, more frightened than angry.

"Ah, good, you didn't get bitten overnight," he said, wiping his forehead as he sighed. Then he remembered himself and offered a hand. "Oh, and, uh, sorry."

"It's okay, I think," she said unsuredly, accepting his help. She wasn't sure what exactly his deal was with zombies, but she figured it wasn't going to harm them for the time being. "Just… don't keep doing that. I get startled really easily."

"Shoot, for real? I'll remember that for next time," he said with a hand raised in vow. "What are you doing up so early anyway? I had you pegged as being a late sleeper."

Her cheeks flushed and looked aside. "I… am, but uh, nature called. Also I'm not used to lying on the ground for so long, so sleeping was kinda tough."

"See, that's where most people screw up," he said, a look of frustration in his eyes. "They rely too much on the comforts of their home and so they're not _prepared_ to face the wilderness when the apocalypse is bound to happen! They're just setting themselves up for disaster!"

She ended up backing away just a tiny bit. Perhaps it was best to end this topic sooner rather than later. "Uhh… right, um, I guess it's something I need to work on. Hey, I noticed we're low on food from last night. Should someone do another bit of foraging before the challenge?"

"I was just about to do that, actually," Shawn said, holding up a handful of small sacks and barely registering the change of topic. Where he found them, Sammy wasn't sure. "I underestimated how much seven people could eat yesterday, so it'd be best to get even more today. _Especially_ before the challenge, if we want to be at full strength."

 _…Oh, actually, this could be my chance to contribute!_ The best way to ensure she stayed on the island and in the game both would be to actually be a part of the team, after all. "Did you, ah, need any help? I've never picked berries or fruit before, but the more the merrier, right?"

He thought it over and shrugged. "Yeah, I could use all the help I can get. C'mon, before Chris calls us all out to compete." He led the way back into the forest, Sammy following along without a sound. Not all that far away from where they were was an actual field of berries, a handful of which she recognized but most she did not. There were blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, what she thought were probably blackberries, and a whole assortment of others she couldn't put names too. And it wasn't just berries either - there were other types of fruit as well, though they weren't as abundant.

"Whoa," she said in awe, taking it all in. "I've never seen so much in one place before."

"I was surprised when I first saw this place, too," Shawn said to her, going directly for a nearby blueberry bush. "They've got stuff growing here that aren't even native to Canada. Not sure how they're maintaining the island's ecosystem, but everything here is _thriving_ so I've got no complaints."

Gardening and ecosystems and whatnot weren't something Sammy excelled in, so she just assumed Shawn knew what he was talking about. Her teammate instructed her on what to pick and how much of each, gave her half of the bags he was holding, and sent her off to work on acquiring the morning's breakfast.

She moved from bush to bush, slowly taking what she could get. She was trying to be careful not to damage anything, so it made for more tedious work. Her hands weren't the most skilled, but she reasoned she had to do this as best as she could. She didn't want her team to think she was a layabout.

About ten minutes in, Sammy was wondering if she should actually be _chatting_ with Shawn, and not just working with him in silence. If one were to look past the whole zombie thing, he was an alright kind of guy, if a bit of a loner, though that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He knew his way around fruit, that was for sure. Unfortunately, conversation really didn't come easy to Sammy, especially with someone she'd only known for a day, and so she continued to struggle with something to talk about for the next little while.

That turned around, thankfully, when someone else entered the clearing. "Oh, Jasmine!" Sammy said happily when she saw the other girl bent over picking at a bush. "Good morning!"

She glanced up and smiled at her. "Morning," she called out, and resumed her foraging. "Wasn't expecting to see anyone else this early, especially from the other team." She threw a handful of berries into her bag and walked over to Sammy, just as she was putting in a couple more strawberries. "Glad to see you made it to day two," she said good-naturedly, tapping her shoulder with her fist.

"Uh, th-thanks!" _Honestly I'm surprised myself._ "And you as well!" she added, and then wanted to slap herself. "...A-Although, you won yesterday, so I guess that's a given, haha…"

Jasmine raised a brow and took a second longer to answer than Sammy was comfortable with, and so the latter looked away with another awkward laugh and a hand rubbing her arm. _Ugh, stupid, stupid! Why are conversations always so hard?!_

To her immense relief, though, Jasmine didn't look like she wanted to be anywhere else. "You're right about that, but anything could happen going forward. Who knows, maybe your team will win next."

"Oh, yeah, that'd be great," she said. "But I wouldn't want you to risk getting voted off. You really seem to know what you're doing, I wouldn't want to put you in danger like that."

"So, you're not going to try and win?" Jasmine asked her with a confused look.

Sammy flushed crimson. "Huh? I- Oh, n-no, I'm going to try, that's not what I meant, I just mean that, um-"

Jasmine laughed a bit and put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to stop blubbering. "Relax, I know what you meant. Besides, you don't have to worry about me, I'm not going home _that_ easily."

"Oh, good," she said with a shaky laugh.

"The rest of my team though, yeesh." Jasmine sighed and ran a hand down her face. "I swear I'm the only 'good' person on there. Everyone's either a jerk, a narcissist, an _idiot_ , or all three at once! …Though I s'pose Scarlett's alright."

Sammy grimaced. As rude as it was to think, Amy definitely fell into the 'all three at once' category. "Sorry you have to put up with my sister. She can be, um..."

"Something else, right?" She shook her head. "You don't have to apologize for the way she acts, by the way. Especially since she won't shut up about you."

That was never be a good thing. "And everything she says isn't the most… flattering, I'm guessing."

"Not even close, no." With that said, Jasmine nonetheless chuckled. "Wait 'til I tell her that you got through the elimination, though. She'd been so cock-sure that you'd be gone last night. Her face alone will be priceless."

Sammy smiled wryly at that. It was always nice to be able to take Amy down a peg. "That would be… a sight to behold, for sure."

After a moment of thought, Jasmine followed up with, "Actually, it'd probably be better for me _not_ to tell her and for you to show her you're still here."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, I do. Mostly so you can see her reaction, but who knows, maybe it'll help you start standing up for yourself."

… _Oh. So that's the reason._ Frowning, Sammy looked away. It's not like she hadn't tried numerous times before, but she seriously doubted anything would happen now if nothing happened yet at all. "I, uh…"

"You're the underdog between the two of you, and underdogs have a lot of fight in 'em. I can see you going far if you just assert yourself a bit more, y'know?"

 _You say that like it's so easy…_ _But it's anything but._ Jasmine obviously had no idea how much Sammy had suffered, but at least she was _trying_ to help. "Gosh, um, I guess so," she opted to say, but felt that she couldn't meet her eye.

Whether or not Jasmine saw how uncomfortable she was, Sammy wasn't sure, but the tall girl changed topics regardless. "By the way, I noticed your picking's are a bit slim."

"What?" She looked back up and saw Jasmine glancing at her bag of berries. "O-Oh, yeah, I was helping Shawn, but I'm not very good at it yet. I haven't exactly done this before."

Jasmine hummed, looked to her own sack, and scooped some berries out. "Here. Don't let anyone know."

"W-Wait, you don't have to do that," Sammy hastily said, pushing the offering back. "You already helped me once, you might get in trouble if you keep doing this."

She smirked despite the warning. "I can handle a little trouble. Besides, I'm not doing this so I can call in a favour down the line, I'm helping because I want to help."

This gave Sammy pause. "...Oh." Normally whenever people said they'd help, it was just a trick to get Sammy to do their work for them (and it was usually Amy who did it). As such, she was a little skeptical to accept Jasmine's help right away, but it was a surprising offer despite that. "Really?"

"Yes, really. Now c'mon, don't be shy."

Every one of her instincts were telling her to refuse, but Jasmine seemed like she really _did_ just want to help, so in the end Sammy gave in and accepted the fruit. "I-I still want to keep picking my own though." _If only so I can feel better about this._

"For sure, I need to do some more myself." She turned around and started for a nearby bush. "Wanna work together? Four hands are better than two."

In truth, Sammy wouldn't have minded it, and they likely would have been able to pick more together. But she was determined to at least do _some_ of this on her own. "Uh, thanks but no thanks. I want to contribute on my own as best I can."

She nodded in understanding. "Ah, say no more, I get'cha. I'll let you get to work, then."

She started picking at the bush, so Sammy figured it would be best for her to go somewhere else. "Okay. A-And thanks again for the help, I really appreciate it."

Jasmine gave her a wave, and Sammy departed for another nearby bush. She was incredibly pleased to have had a conversation with another person, on her own at that, and not mess it up too badly somehow. Perhaps this was the start of something new, something better.

Though Jasmine's advice wasn't the best, in her opinion. _I've_ tried _standing up and it never got me anywhere. I don't know how continuing to do that will change anything._ _And it's not like Amy's going to give me the time of day anyway._

That said, she _had_ to do something. She just wasn't sure what.

* * *

"Mm, these are delicious!" Ella declared as the six of them walked to the next challenge and ate breakfast at the same time. "Sammy, Shawn, thank you so much for fetching these for us!"

"Seriously, these are great," Sky agreed, popping a blueberry in her mouth. "You both got a good eye for this."

Sammy laughed nervously and looked away. "Ah, thanks." _Though it's probably Jasmine's haul that you're eating._

"Make sure you guys eat your share, we'll need to be able to perform our best," Shawn told them. "Given we're at a disadvantage, any mistake made could be crucial."

"No pressure or anything," Beardo said quietly as he munched away.

"Let's try to think about this positively!" Ella said happily. "We have the opportunity to make a comeback today, and if we work hard enough I'm sure we will win!"

"How you can be so endlessly optimistic is lost on me," Dave said to her.

"It's not hard! I simply try not to focus on the good rather than the bad." With a proud smile she added, "It's given me a more positive outlook on life, I find."

"More like it made you delusional," he muttered under his breath.

Sammy wasn't sure if Ella heard that or not, but she didn't react to it at all. She wasn't entirely fond of Dave's judgement of her, though - and coupled with all the complaints he had made so far, it wasn't all that surprising that he was starting to get on Sammy's nerves. _He reminds me a bit too much of a certain someone..._

She wasn't planning on saying anything, but Beardo, whom she was walking alongside of, didn't seem to mind speaking about it. "Dave doesn't seem to like us much, does he?" he asked, leaning in closer to whisper.

"N-No, I guess he doesn't," she replied, unconsciously moving her head away from him a bit. "He's been getting upset at Ella and you a lot, hasn't he?"

"Yeah, not something I appreciate." He gave an exasperated glare at the back of Dave's head.

"And he complains a lot too," Sammy heard herself continue. "Every minor thing he's just… griping about."

He nodded. "And don't get me started on his germaphobia. I mean, I recognize it's a phobia and all, but what was he expecting, coming on here? TD's _disgusting_ , and if he's gonna whine about unclean blankets and unwashed fruit, then he's _really_ not gonna be prepared for the rest of the show."

"Yeah," Sammy agreed. "I really hope it doesn't cause us to lose or something."

"For real."

She then turned to her taller and hairier teammate. "Um, on an unrelated note, you're a lot more talkative this morning."

Beardo instantly shot back up and took a half-step away from her. "Y-You think?" He laughed nervously as he scratched his head through his hair. "I, uh, guess you're just easy to talk to."

She blinked. No one had _ever_ said anything like that to her before. Amy had always told her that no one liked her and that's why she was friendless, but Beardo was telling her the complete opposite. She knew her sister loved to make her feel bad, but was it really as simple as that?

"Oh, uh, thank you," she said to him, though she wasn't really sure what else to say. "It's… easy to talk to you too. Actually, it's easy to talk to a lot of the guys on our team. They're some of the nicest people I've met." _Like… ever._

"Some are, some aren't, but yeah, I know what you mean." He paused for a second, then added, "Talking with people in general is _tough_ , though."

"Oh God, yeah. You're so right about that."

They soon came to a small clearing near a lake not too long after, where Chris and Chef were waiting. The Salmons had already arrived, and as expected Sammy's gaze zoomed directly on her sister. She was examining her nails, not interested in anything going on around her, but she did look up when the Bears entered the area.

Her face had a smug grin on it, but it fell away when she locked eyes with Sammy. In fact, what she was thinking was plain on her face - first confusion, then anger, then frustration as she turned away and fumed on the spot.

Sammy had to desperately fight to keep from smiling, let alone laughing. _Wow. Jasmine was right, that_ was _worth seeing._ She glanced at Jasmine herself, who was having a harder time holding back her own laughter, but was able to send Sammy a wave and a wink. Sammy sent back a shaky smile, but left it at that.

As the host and his assistant were getting the final touches ready, Sammy looked past them and further down the lakebed. Not too far away were two logs that looked like they were arching over a large thorn bush, and Sammy couldn't help but think it was going to be involved in the challenge somehow. There also seemed to be something near a cliff where the lake fell into a waterfall, but it was too far away for her to make out what it was exactly.

After a moment, the host explained the game - they were to compete in a relay race/obstacle course, with each person on both teams tackling one of the six legs (the Salmons would have to double up for one of them, of course). According to the large flatscreen TV hanging from a nearby tree, the legs included the logs and thorn bush, a zip line across a ravine, maze-like tubes, the sorts of tires the guys on the football team practice on, pushing a wheelbarrow, and climbing and vaulting over a large wall.

And because this was Total Drama, Chris revelled in his twists and turns. Not only were all of the legs covered in slick, off-color grease that looked like it could be mistaken for oil, both teams were tasked with passing a baton to each other as they went along - in this case, a _live, greased pig_.

"Oh my goodness, he's _adorable_!" Ella practically sang as Chef dragged the animals to them. They looked like they wanted to be anywhere other than here. "I think I'm going to call ours Mr. Truffle Hunter! Or Mrs. Truffle Hunter, if it's a girl."

"Is anyone else grossed-out at all the grease?" Dave asked, looking paler than before. "Because that is… a _lot_ of grease. A lot of grease to get on our shoes… and clothes… and _skin…_ " He turned to Sky, his body slightly shaking. "W-We get a choice on if we want to do this or not, right?"

"Knew it," Beardo whispered, and Sammy could only nod in agreement.

"Dave, we need everyone to play their part," Sky told him. "Now more than ever, since we're a team of six to their seven." She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Can I trust you to do this for us?"

Dave continued to squirm, but sighed and hung his head. "Okay, fine," he said in defeat. "But I want the leg with the least amount of grease."

As he spoke, Sammy spotted Shawn look over to the other team, and likewise followed suit. It seemed that Jasmine was giving out orders and positions to her teammates - Sammy wasn't exactly paying attention, but she did pick out that Jasmine herself was going for the wall at the end, and that Amy (who for some reason was doubled-up with Sugar) was going to be in the tube.

"Who's gonna take the last part?" Shawn asked. "We need someone actually capable of lifting a pig up a wall."

Dave's head seemed to perk up at the question. "Why not Sky?" he immediately offered, much to her surprise. "She's practically an Olympic gymnast! It would be like cakewalk to her!"

"Uhh," she started, clearly flattered but somewhat hesitant. "I mean, I suppose I could. My training focuses more on my leg muscles than my arms, but I'll give it a shot."

"Great! I'll take the wheelbarrow then!" He grinned at Sky, who gave him an uneasy smile back. Sammy may not have been the best at conversing with others, but even she could see when someone was interested in someone else.

"If it's alright with you guys, I'd like to go first," Beardo interrupted, his face set in determination. "After yesterday's wake up call, I need to try and prove myself."

"And, um, I'd be willing to take any leg that _isn't_ the third one," Sammy said, eyeing Amy as she and the rest of her team ran off. "I-If that's okay with you all."

She was half expecting to be denied, but she didn't feel that way for long. "I can take third," Shawn offered, to her immense relief. "Not too keen on the narrow tubes, they're a bit too small to maneuver away from zombies. But I've already got the layout down, so it shouldn't be a problem getting in and out."

"And if that's the case, then I shall traverse the tires!" Ella declared happily, spinning on the spot like a ballerina. "Isn't this great? Everyone has their part to play! I love it when a plan comes together!"

"Chop-chop people, we don't have all day!" Chris called out to them.

"Let's hope the plan works then," Shawn mumbled, walking on ahead of them towards his leg.

Sammy agreed, but was mostly thankful that she wouldn't have to wait around for the pig baton right next to Amy. Any time spent near her was enough to give her a headache. Unfortunately, as she soon realized it, she got the opportunity to wait with someone else who was just as nosy as her sister.

"So you're the fabled Samey," Topher said to her immediately as she approached the zip line. The fact that he called her by _that_ name just ended up putting her on her guard. "Amy's said _so_ many things about you. Can you confirm if they're true or not? The audience at home is dying to know!"

Something about Topher felt… slimy. Like he was trying to find a way under her skin. "Amy… says a lot of things. Not all of them are true."

Her response failed to deter him. "How's it feel to be separated from her for the first time? She says that you rely on her _so_ _much_ that you must be incredibly lost. Is there any merit to this statement?"

In the distance, Chris's air horn went off, but she was too focused on Topher to fully register it. "W-What? No! I'm not lost without her! If anything, she'd be lost without _me!"_

"Ooh, a little sisterly rivalry, I take it," Topher said with glee. He leaned in closer to Sammy, forcing her to lean back. "Honestly, I wish you were on the same team. The drama would be _so_ thick between you two. It'd make for great TV!" He looked past her and back towards the starting area. "Maybe I can convince Chris to get you to swap with someone…"

"Uhh, no thanks!" she replied, quickly scooting back to free up her personal space. "I'm perfectly fine being on a team without her."

She made a point to turn back around and focus entirely on Beardo trying to make his way over the log with their pig - he somehow ended up sliding along it on his stomach with the pig on his back, all the while mimicking the sound of a train whistle. "Go Beardo! You can do it!" she called out, half in an attempt to distract her from Topher's questions and half because she genuinely wanted him to do good.

Her teammate slid onto the ground, just at the same time the pig squealed, ditched its ride, and ran in her direction. "Oh crap, heads up!" Beardo shouted her way.

"Oh no," she said quietly, and though she was scared and worried that she would mess up, she nevertheless stood in its way and readied herself.

The pig charged for her, but stopped and tried to maneuver around. She leapt for it, missed entirely, but was fortunate enough to grab the leash. "Got it!" she happily cheered, but was quickly shushed when the pig started dragging her along. "Agh, wait, stop!"

She hastily got to her feet and dug her heels into the dirt to stop it, and thankfully it did after a short time. Sammy sighed in relief and headed straight for the zip line with it in tow. "So I just need to carry the pig and slide down the rope. That's…" She eyed the hog behind her, keeping in pace with her but glaring all the while. "…gonna be tough."

She reached the rope and accepted the helmet the intern gave her. Strapping it on, she turned to the pig and knelt in front of it. "Okay… c'mon, M… Mr. Truffle Hunter. Mrs.? Whatever. I won't hurt you! We're just going to…" She eyed the zip line precariously. "…go on a fun ride, is all! Nothing to be s-scared of." It was a statement that would probably have been more believable if she wasn't shaking in her boots.

The pig was hesitant, as was to be expected. She really wasn't sure if talking to it like she would a dog would even work, but it also didn't seem like it was going to keep trying to run. Unfortunately, she just so happened to spy Rodney finishing his portion of the race… somewhat painfully. "Well… desperate times, I guess. Let's go, piggy!"

Since it wasn't running, the pig was easy to grab, though still weighed a _ton_. Regardless she hefted it onto her shoulders, attached herself to the rope and, with a look down and a shaky breath, leapt out over the ravine.

Just like yesterday's skydiving trip, Sammy had never been on a zip line before now, and while she could see how some people found it enjoyable, it was definitely not for her. Mainly for two reasons - one, the pig was squealing in her ear and wasn't doing anything to help her anxiety, and two, the grease-slicked rope was causing the clip to slide without friction. And that meant the longer she rode, the faster she went.

"Too fast, _too fast!_ " she cried. The panic was rising in her once more, her breathing quickening but she was going too fast to get any decent air in her lungs. The pig was squirming, trying to break free, but she held on as tight as she could - she couldn't cost her team the loss by dropping it. There was too much going on, too many thoughts in her head, _I'm going to die, I can't make us lose, what was I thinking,_ that the trip to the other side of the ravine thankfully took almost no time at all.

She hit the end of the rope, causing the harness to snap at the speed she was going. She flew up, screaming, rolling backwards through the air and becoming dizzy. The pig was ejected from her arms, and she couldn't for the life of her pick out where it went. She landed on the ground head first, and her momentum caused her to keep going a little ways through the mud before coming to a halt, face into the ground.

She waited a moment for the pain to set in, but was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't as bad as she was expecting. _That… could have been worse. Apparently._

While the trip down had been _terrifying_ , at least her part in the whole race was over with. And with Topher still behind her, it wouldn't be her fault if they lost again. After the life she'd lived, Sammy took her victories where she could.

The sounds of the pig's continued squealing, and the shouts of frustration from Shawn as he tried to run after it, were enough to stir her from her thoughts. She raised her head and shook the muck out of her eyes to see him chasing it, luckily towards the tube maze, and silently wished him the best of luck.

She briefly acknowledged the sound of footsteps behind her before the voice spoke. " _Wow_ , Sis, that looked like it hurt."

Sammy tensed. In all of the chaos, she had forgotten Amy was there as well.

She gingerly rose to her feet, wiping the dirt off of her shirt and face and giving her sister a hesitant look. "W-What do you want, Amy?"

The smirk she was wearing faded. "Huh, I was hoping you suffered brain damage or something."

 _Yeah, that was about what I expected._ "Well, I didn't." As much as she wanted to say something else, though, she knew it was pointless, and just hung her head and allowed her sister to continue.

"Listen, there's no way you're going to win," she said haughtily. "I've got the superior team, in brains, brawn, _and_ beauty. Your team doesn't hold a _lightbulb_ to our team, not in a million years."

"It's 'hold a candle'," Sammy mumbled, but went unheard.

"How about you do us all a favor and lose for us?" Amy stepped forward and stared straight into her eyes. Sammy did everything to avoid them and ignore the fact that her bubble was infiltrated once more. "Or better yet, just forfeit the game. I'm sure your teammates would be happy if you did, seeing as how it's _you_."

"W-What?" That couldn't be true - her teammates treated her like everyone else, not as an annoyance. Amy had to have just been spouting another lie.

But of course, her brain was no help in the matter. _What if they actually_ do _think that?_

"Yeah, it's _pretty_ obvious they kept you around only because they pity you," she continued. "I just know if you lose tonight- no, _when_ you lose tonight, you'll be sent home. I'm sure they'll all see the error of their ways."

Her shaky breath was quickening, and her fists clenching. She had to say something. She had to fight back against her sister, to make her know that she wouldn't put up with this torment anymore.

"That's… That's…"

"Hmm?" Impossibly, Amy seemed to get closer still. "What are you mumbling?"

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried forcing the words out. But try as she might, she couldn't do it. She couldn't get the words that had been stewing in her head for all these years to come out. Trauma couldn't be rewritten in just a few days, after all.

Having said her piece, Amy stepped back. "Hm, whatever, not like it matters what you say anyway. Now, stay out of my way. Unlike _you_ , we have a game to w-"

" _Comin' through!_ " All of a sudden Sugar roared passed the two of them, the Salmon's pig under one arm, and the other arm grabbing Amy by the wrist and pulling her away. "Let's go, Chicken Legs, we got ourselves a pageant to win!"

"What- _Ow!_ Let go, that frickin' _hurts!_ " her sister shouted, and the two of them disappeared into the greasy tubes. Amy's cries of disgust echoed out through the entrance, and Sammy couldn't help but revel in them.

She also revelled in Sugar essentially insulting her. That was the first time she actually heard anyone say something mean to Amy. That said, she looked at her own legs, realized the same could be applied to her, and decided to keep that thought to herself.

"I _knew_ it," Topher said suddenly, startling Sammy into gasping and whirling around. " _That_ was some spicy drama. You sure you don't want to come to our side? I can guarantee, the ratings would skyrocket!"

 _Is that all he cares about? He sounds like a younger version of Chris._ "I already said no," she told him quietly, and pressed onward without waiting for a reply.

She passed by the exit to the tubes, and saw Shawn emerging from it. He was covered in grease from head to toe, doubly so for the hog at his heels, and he shook the gunk off like a dog. Ella and Scarlett both had to shield their faces to keep it from getting in their eyes or on their glasses.

"See? Told ya it was a piece of cake," Shawn said, happily handing the dirty leash to Ella.

She took it without a second thought. "Yes, I see what you meant!"

"Careful with the pig, now," Shawn warned as he eyed the animal with a bit of contempt. "He's a feisty one."

"Oh, that won't be an issue for me," Ella said confidently. She kneeled down to the pig, who huffed in agitation at her. She didn't seem to pay it any mind though, and actually started to sing to it.

" _Hello, little friend, would you like to come here?_

" _Please do not be scared, as there's nothing to fear!_ "

The second Ella started, Sammy gasped and found herself coming to a stop. The first few times Ella sang for them, she had been too distracted either with the challenge or wallowing in her own self-pity to properly notice, but listening now, it was clear her teammate had a _really_ nice singing voice.

And once again, Sammy felt a pang of jealousy at that. _Optimistic, pretty_ and _has a beautiful voice? God, she's like, the complete opposite of me._

Their pig responded surprisingly quickly - rather than squeal angrily at her, it calmed down and ran up to her, nuzzling its greasy snout into her skirt. She didn't seem bothered by it at all, if a bit surprised, and in fact gave it a hug right back.

"Does she do this… _all_ the time?" Sammy heard Scarlett ask Shawn.

"You know, you'd be surprised," Shawn replied.

"Hey, I'm here," came the deep voice of Beardo to Sammy's left, somewhat out of breath. "Ran as quick as I could. Did, uh, anything happen?"

"Umm," Sammy started, but she was interrupted.

"Now, let's be on our way," Ella said, rising to her feet as gracefully as a girl in a grease-covered blouse and skirt could, and lead the pig to the tires. As she walked, she began stepping to a beat that only she could hear, and resumed singing once more.

" _To my friend I asked, 'Would you like to dance, Mr. Pig?'_

" _My friend replied, 'Why yes, I think it's time we did a jig!'_

" _We twirled and turned and then returned to the center of the stage._

" _We gave a bow, they cheered, and how! It seemed we were all the rage!_

" _What fun it is to sing and dance with one of your own age!_ "

"... _Whoa_." Sammy had been, truthfully, entirely enthralled with the impromptu song, so much so that she didn't realize right away it had stopped.

" _Dang_ ," Beardo said with a loud whistle. "I keep forgetting, girl's got _lungs_."

"Y-Yeah, for real," Sammy agreed. Not only could she sing, but she could belt out rhymes just as easily. The lyrics weren't the greatest, but there was definitely a passion behind her voice. Sammy wouldn't have minded listening to a bit more from her if they were given a chance.

"Agh, _finally!_ " Sammy's head shot over back to the tubes to see Amy and Sugar just exiting. They were covered in grime, although Sugar didn't seem to mind at all.

"I _knew_ I smelled something nutty!" the southerner cried, still holding the squealing pig under one arm, as she reached for something on the ground and popped it right in her mouth. Sammy nearly gagged at the sight.

"You _realize_ the pecans are for the swine," Scarlett said to her, unimpressed.

"Oh, sweet, ya got more of 'em!" She swiped at Scarlett's hand for the pile of nuts in them, though the redhead raised them up and out of reach just in time.

Amy began yelling at Sugar to give Scarlett the pig, but Sugar wasn't too keen on giving it away so soon, prompting a small argument to start between them. Shawn, who saw where that was going and began making his way over to his own team, was waving his hands to get them to go. "We should probably hurry!"

Sammy glanced over to Ella, who had finished singing and had moved on to humming instead. Despite that, she was still going at an agonizingly slow pace, and Sammy was afraid if she didn't go faster then Scarlett was going to overtake them whenever their argument finished. Not wanting to demand her of anything she didn't want to do, but also recognizing the situation, Sammy quickly approached her teammate. "H-Hey, Ella?"

She stopped her humming and turned to her. "Oh, Sammy! Would you like to dance with us?" She offered a gloved hand to her, made somewhat dirty from the grease.

Ignoring the fact that she had never been asked to dance by anyone at all before now, Sammy glanced back towards the Salmons. "Um, maybe later, but right now I think you should… g-go faster? We don't want to lose the lead and all, y'know?"

Ella gasped, placing her hands to her cheeks. "Oh heavens, I forgot myself for a moment. Thank you for the reminder, Sammy, I greatly appreciate it." She lightly pulled on the pig's leash and broke out into a run. "Come, Mr. Truffle Hunter! To the end! But be careful not to trip, these tires are tricky!"

The pig screeched again, and followed closely at Ella's heels as they both took off at a hurried, if somewhat dainty pace. Sammy let out a relieved sigh, pleased that her teammate actually listened to her, and gave a thumbs up to the other two.

And just in time, too, as Scarlett traded Sugar her pecans for the pig, and was headed right for the tires. Not wanting to be left behind with the rest of their team, Sammy ran to catch up with Ella and keep pace with her, and she noted that Beardo and Shawn did the same.

Surprisingly, Ella was rather coordinated when it came to walking on the tires, and didn't miss a single one the whole way through. The pig wasn't as lucky, stumbling over itself multiple times, but every time it did it would rush right back to Ella's side.

"Little guy's working hard, isn't he?" Shawn asked, also noting the pig's determination.

"Yeah," Sammy said. "Ella's got a way with animals, apparently."

Lucky for them, the last of the tires were passed, and Ella elegantly came to a stop next to Dave and the wheelbarrow. The grease path they were standing on stretched for a while, and Sammy had a feeling that maneuvering through it was not going to be easy.

"That wasn't so bad!" she happily said, directing the pig up into the barrow. "You were an excellent dancer, Mr. Truffle Hunter. I wish you the best in your future endeavours!" She gave it a head rub, and then turned to Dave with the leash in hand. "And the same goes to you, Dave! Make us proud!"

Dave's eyes bulged at the leash, and just how greasy it was. To be fair, it _was_ dripping with the stuff, but it wasn't like the grease was going to seriously hurt him. "U-Uh, can… can you like, wipe it off first? Please?"

"Huh? Oh, certainly!" Ella started looking around for something to use.

"Is that necessary?" Beardo asked him.

"Yes! Very necessary!" Dave answered back. Beardo merely held up his hands, choosing not to argue.

"Ah, here we go!" Ella cheered, and bent down to the ground.

"Wait, what are you-" Dave started, but stopped and gawked when Ella held up a rather large leaf. Without waiting for anything else, she started wiping down the leash, not even registering that Dave's eyes were twitching.

"This is… not going to help us, is it?" Sammy asked quietly.

"Nnnope," Shawn replied with a sigh.

She held both the grease-free leash and grease-covered leaf up into the air when she was done. "Finished!" she sang, and handed the leash back to Dave. "Just as you wanted! Completely greaseless!"

Dave swallowed and laughed nervously. "R-Right. Just how… I wanted it." He reached his hand out slowly to it - _very_ slowly, actually.

"And Scarlett reaches the end of her leg!" Chris announced over the speaker, just as the girl in question dashed up to Max. "Team Maskwak better get their act together, or they'll be behind!"

"Just take the leash!" Shawn yelled at Dave. Beardo nodded, made a growl not unlike what a dog would make.

Dave looked back at the Salmons, at Max doing some quick stretches, and also at Scarlett who placed Max's odd device on the pig's head. He howled in frustration, and snatched the leash from Ella's hand before running off.

The four of them, plus Sky at the last leg, were cheering him on. Sammy actually felt a little happy for him - a complainer he may have been, but if his phobia was legit, then this might have been a big first step in overcoming it. _Maybe that's why he's on the show? To overcome his fears…?_

He was making good progress, and was just reaching the halfway point when, unfortunately, the grease hit the fan. Somehow, Max's pig was reaching down _into_ the grease and chucking it ahead towards Dave. The first couple of shots missed, but then one managed to hit him square in the back of the head.

Dave literally _screeched_ and looked backwards. "I've been hit! I-" Another glob hit him right in his face. " _Ahh!_ My eyes! _It's in my-_ " And yet another clump landed right into his open mouth.

"Oh dear," Ella murmured.

He gagged, and started spitting it out to little success. That little bit of progress he made came to a crashing halt the exact moment Dave himself stopped moving. He doubled over and clutched his throat, the wheelbarrow going a little further before stopping in its tracks. The pig just looked around, though it stayed exactly where it was.

Dave kept spitting and coughing, but he tried to do so a bit too hard, as he also began dry heaving. "So gross… so dirty," he was saying between his hacking.

"Wait, Dave, no, keep going!" Sky called out from her position at her end. Jasmine was right alongside her and watching in disgust, but wasn't doing anything to try and help. "H-Hang on, I'm coming!"

Or she would have, had Chef Hatchet hadn't grabbed her by the arm to keep her in place. He and Chris started saying something to her, but they were too far away for Sammy to be able to make out what it was. Regardless, she was too focused on _not_ watching Dave throw up in the grease.

As he was retching, Max ran by laughing like a madman as he had proven to be fond of doing, kicking up even more grease into his face. Which caused him to retch even harder.

"Ohh, I think I'm going to be sick," Sammy informed her teammates, and turned away from them just in case. Seeing others puke made her easily do the same.

"Um… Allow me to assist," Ella said gently, and held back Sammy's hair and soothingly rubbed her back.

"Th-That actually helps, thank you," Sammy told her. It was good to be around nice people for a change.

"It's the least I could do after you just helped me," Ella told her. "Although… I fear what we had hoped to avoid has come to pass regardless."

She listened to Shawn and Beardo yelling at Dave to get going, and to Sky trying to shout encouragement from the end of the grease trail, but it didn't do any good. "Water! I need clear, clean water to gargle!" Sammy turned back around and watched him, to her and everyone else's shock, run _away_ from the wheelbarrow and towards the crew. He attached himself to the leg of one of the interns, who started looking around unsure of what to do. "Please! Water! Before I-" Sammy looked away the second the retching started again.

"We're toast, aren't we?" Beardo asked.

"Looks that way," Shawn said with a nod.

Chris's air horn cut through and made it official - Jasmine had already scaled the wall with the Salmon's pig and safely reached the other side. "And with the early departure of the germaphobe, Team Kinosewak wins the challenge!" he announced. Their opponents cheered, and were rewarded with proper dinner for the second night in a row. Sammy's stomach growled as she watched them run for their treehouse, but she turned away when Amy stuck her tongue out at her. It was so childish, but it still really hurt.

Sky had run off to check on Dave, which left her and the rest of her team to head back to their shack. They were silent, brooding over their loss, until Shawn spoke about five minutes in. "We need to talk about who's going home tonight."

"I know exactly who _I'm_ voting for," Beardo said quietly.

Shawn looked back towards him. "Sounds like you really have it out for him."

"Normally I wouldn't, but he just… feels like a hypocrite, y'know?" Despite how relaxed he was yesterday and earlier, he seemed rather peeved at the moment. "He's got that attitude where he'll criticize everyone and everything around him, but never himself, even when he's the problem. I've seen people like that before."

"I… _know_ people like that," Sammy said. _All too well._

"Sh-Shouldn't we discuss this further before coming to any conclusions?" Ella said quietly. "I mean, maybe if we give him a chance…"

"Who else will we vote for then?" Shawn asked. "Everyone did their part. Well, except for Sky, but that wouldn't really be fair since we never even got to her."

"I realize that. It just doesn't seem very nice to gang up on him like this. How can we judge him for reacting to his fears?"

"It… _does_ leave a bad taste in my mouth," Sammy said. Who was she to condemn someone for something they couldn't control?

"Well get used to it," Shawn said sternly. "You'll have to make difficult choices in this game. That's something you should have known before auditioning."

Deep down, Sammy knew he was right. It was just as Sky said yesterday - if they couldn't pull their weight, they shouldn't be able to stay on the team. Sammy just wished it was an easier thing to do, and didn't make her feel like crap.

* * *

Elimination time came, and the final two ended up being between Dave and Ella. Sammy, relieved that it wasn't her going home again, was still nonetheless worried. She knew the majority had vote for Dave, but that small voice in the back of her head was telling her otherwise, as it always did.

"Ella," Chris started after a moment. The girl in question tensed at her name. "You lost your team valuable time in the race, and instead chose to do a musical number. I shouldn't have to remind you that this is a _non-musical_ season. Plus, people find it kinda annoying."

"What? They do?" She turned back to the rest of the team with eyes of worry. Sammy rapidly shook her head, since she genuinely liked Ella's singing, but she didn't really know how the others felt about it.

"Yeah, not very shocking," Chris said with a chuckle, and turned his attention elsewhere. "Dave, your knack for attracting gross stuff and reacting hilariously to it sort of lost the challenge for everyone. And your constant complaining really didn't win you any favors."

"Both my reactions _and_ complaints are justified!" Dave defended.

"Oof, yeah, keep telling yourself that, buddy," Chris laughed. "And so, the final marshmallow of the night goes to…" He paused for drama, but not as long as it was the night before. Sammy assumed it was because the answer was fairly obvious.

"…Ella."

She sighed in relief, and graciously accepted the treat tossed at her. Dave, on the other hand, groaned rather loudly and stood from his stump. "Fine! I get it. I didn't want to be here anyway. Shoot me out of a cannon for all I care, it'll be better than _this_ place. This dirty, filthy place." He stormed off down to the cannon, muttering all the while.

Sammy knew this was for the best, but the thoughts that this was wrong wouldn't leave her head. She looked to her campmates, and saw similar looks of unease from Ella and Sky. Shawn looked mostly indifferent, but Beardo seemed pleased with the outcome. She couldn't really blame him, but still.

Rather than follow him down, the five remaining members of Team Maskwak stood near the cliff to watch Dave off. He climbed in on his own accord and said nothing as Chris and Chef prepared.

"Any final words before you leave the island forever?" the host asked him as he held his remote control aloft.

Dave was quiet for a moment, but then he adjusted himself in the mouth of the cannon to look back up at the rest of his former team. "Yeah I have something to say," he practically growled. "My team _sucked_! This has to have been the weirdest team in all of Total Drama history! Barring Sky and myself of course."

"You're not wrong about that," Chris said with a laugh.

"I mean, just look at you guys!" He waved his hand at them. "A guy who talks only in sound effects, a guy obsessed with zombies of all things, and the queens of being overly positive and overly negative!"

Sammy winced and frowned. _I have deep-rooted family-related issues and years of trauma from abuse, but fine, go off, I guess._

Dave continued, "Not to mention that guy who thought he was a wizard yesterday…"

"Yeah, this season's teams are pretty crazy, aren't they?" Chris couldn't help but put in his own jabs.

"Right?!" Dave seemed happy that someone finally agreed with him for once. "I mean, who was the moron that invited _them_ onto the show?!"

"Ha! Yeah, what was I-" There was a pause, and Chris finished with, "Actually I've heard enough." He pressed his button and Dave was shot out of the cannon at blinding speeds, his screams echoing into the wind.

Chris gave a send off to the camera, and Sammy found herself being the first one to turn back and head towards the shack. The rest followed, but no one said anything.

Upon returning, they had their fill of leftover fruit and berries and day-old river water. They sat in front of their own, fire, one Shawn had started and was maintaining. It was warm and, aside from the glow of the moon and the occasional blinking of camera and other equipment, the only source of light. The night was cold, so Sammy tried her best to warm up as much as possible before bed.

Illuminated by the fire, she saw the morose looks everyone was giving off. Losing certainly had a big effect on them all, and doing so twice in a row was even worse. That said, she seemed to be doing better than she would have previously expected. Perhaps coming second to Amy so often had gotten her used to losing.

As they sat and ate, lost in their own thoughts, Sky suddenly spoke up. "We need to do better."

It took a moment for anyone to reply to the abrupt statement. Looking at the rest of them to see if someone else would bite, Shawn decided to reply. "We tried our best today. Though I suppose it wasn't really enough."

"I know that," Sky replied patiently. She was sitting on a rock, legs crossed with an unopened banana laid on one of them, staring intently into the fire. The light from it was making her look somewhat intimidating. "I mean we need to do better working as a team."

"What's the difference?" Beardo asked, laying on his side as he chewed on an apple.

Sky looked at him. "The difference is, until now we've sort of been doing everything individually. Sure, we may be _on_ a team, but we've really only relied on ourselves to complete the challenges, and not on each other. Does that… make sense?"

"I think it does," Ella replied. She was kneeling down on the grass and delicately eating from a small sack of blueberries. "We should try to play the game more as a group working together than as individual people who just happen to share a common goal. Is that right?"

"Exactly, yeah."

"You gotta remember though," Shawn said, poking at the fire with a stick, "not all challenges are going to be 100% team-oriented. Today's, for example."

"Maybe we could've talked it through a bit more," Beardo suggested.

"Or m-maybe did what Team Kinosewak did," Sammy said. She had her legs folded up along her chest and arms wrapped around her knees. Alongside her lay an empty sack that was filled with discarded strawberry tops and leaves. "Have someone give out orders, like a leader. Like Jasmine."

Sky's gaze looked over them all. "Is anyone here leader material?"

No one answered.

"That's what I was afraid of," she sighed.

"I think _you_ would be a good leader, Sky," Sammy told her sincerely.

She smiled and scratched her head. "Well, maybe, but I don't think I want to be a full-time leader, honestly. Too much responsibility."

Sammy nodded. That was fair. Lord knew she wouldn't want to be a leader all the time, even if she had the capabilities.

"Maybe what we need isn't a leader," Ella said. "Maybe we just… need to communicate better?"

"That's what I was saying," Beardo said. "Talk through challenges and get an idea of what we can all do to get us to win."

"Well, yes, that would be good. But I was also thinking…" She searched for the right words, and settled her eyes on each of them. "I've thought about this once or twice already, but even though we've all been together since yesterday morning, I know almost nothing about any of you."

No one said anything as that sunk in. Sammy supposed she didn't exactly talk about herself, but there was a reason for that. Bringing up memories when most of them were painful wasn't something she liked to do.

Ella continued when nothing else was said. "I know that Sky's an athlete, Beardo can make various sounds, Shawn is afraid of zombies-"

"For a good reason!"

"-and Sammy doesn't exactly like her sister," Ella finished.

Sammy snorted and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. " _That's_ an understatement."

"But that's about it." Ella clasped her hands to her knees. "I feel that we would work better with one another if we actually… _knew_ one another."

"Yeah, I get what you're saying," Beardo said with a nod. "Getting to know each other more personally would make it easier for me to talk to you guys, at least." Sammy nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing.

"That sounds like a good idea," Sky said. "It _would_ be nice to know who I'm working with."

"Uhh," Shawn stammered. He was looking at them all with wary eyes. "Thanks but no thanks. You guys are cool and all, but getting closer with other people is a _huge_ liability for surviving the apocalypse." He tossed his stick in the fire and stood, heading in the direction of the forest. "I'm alright with discussing the challenges, but I draw the line at becoming emotionally compromised when a zombie's got one of you in a headlock."

He disappeared through the bushes without looking back. After a moment, Beardo said to them, "Four out of five's not bad."

"Then shall we get to it?" Ella's mood had swiftly brightened.

 _Guess she really wanted to talk about herself…_ Sammy's face scrunched behind her arms. _Wait, no, that came out wrong. God, even in my head I'm an embarrassment._

Ella chose to start, unsurprisingly. She gave her name, age, where she lived, and a few other details. What she really went into was her love for singing, which just made complete sense. She said that she had been singing for the majority of her life, and that she'd been in numerous plays and musicals hosted by her school. Unfortunately, she had yet to be cast as the main character in any of them, but she was hopeful that it would happen one day. Her lifelong dream, however, would be to join a children's sing-along TV show, and be able to entertain kids all over the world with her songs.

"I've babysat my neighbor's little girl several times, and she _loves_ it when I sing to her," she explained. Her hands were placed over her heart as she reminisced. "It made me realize how precious children can be, and I've been wanting to make them smile any chance that I get. Sometimes I'd go to parks with my guitar and sing them a little melody to brighten their day, and other times I'd go to the children's hospital and play for them there. They really appreciate it when I come around."

"Gosh." Sammy was simply in _awe_ of how selfless Ella was sounding at the moment. Finding happiness in making other people happy… She could only wish her life were that simple. "It really sounds like they would. I know if I were a sick kid, I'd want someone to come and sing to me every day."

"Yes! Sadly, the staff had been thinking that I was going a tad bit _too_ frequently, so they asked me to come in only twice a week. Still, it's a marvelous experience!"

"Wait… Twice a week _isn't_ frequent?" Beardo asked, mid-bite.

Ella chose to ignore that and move on, and brought their attention to Sky by asking her some questions about herself, her goals, and so on. Sky's answers were rather predictable - she wanted to become an Olympic athlete, specifically in 100 meters or 100 meter hurdles. She was really big on fair play and healthy competition, and enjoyed exercising and going on runs around her block. She was also a vegetarian, and enjoyed a good fruit salad over junk food any day of the week. She hated cheaters and people who played dirty, and insisted that jeans were the most uncomfortable pants in the world and that she would stick with tights, thank you very much.

"If I may ask," Ella interrupted. "If you're so interested in the Olympics, why did you decide to audition for Total Drama? The two don't seem very alike."

"For me, it isn't about the money. It's mostly as a way to, uh, _challenge_ myself, pardon the pun," she said with a laugh. Sammy snorted behind her hand, though she did her best to keep the volume down. "I'm already the best runner at my school, my records prove that, and the track there was no longer meeting my standards. I needed something new, something… not dangerous, but _rigorous_ , and felt like a game show like this one would be the best way to get experience. And coming in first wouldn't hurt, either." She paused for a moment in thought. "I _did_ also want to audition for a show where you race around the world, but I didn't have a partner who'd be able to keep up with me, and the show requires you to have one."

"Sounds like that would've been a better fit for you," Beardo said.

Sky shrugged. "This place isn't so bad. I'd, uh, like to actually win, though."

"Fair enough."

"Okay, Beardo, your turn," Ella said happily.

Beardo had loved music all of his life, and aspired to be a world-renowned DJ at some point. While yes, he was incredibly shy of people he had never met before, he claimed that being in front of an audience while in 'the zone' was far simpler. He already had a few songs and albums up available for people to listen to, though he hadn't made any money off of them yet. As for the sound effects, he really only did them for both fun and as a coping mechanism, though he understood that they could annoy people pretty easily. He enjoyed making them, though, and knew he was talented with it, but he had no plans to use them for anything.

"I auditioned for a bunch of reasons," he said when Ella asked. "The chance to win the money, to get my name out there, to maybe meet some new friends, and somewhat to try to get over my fear of new people." He sighed and rolled over onto his back. "Though truthfully, I dunno how far I'm gonna get. As you could probably tell, I ain't the most fit person here."

"Just because you aren't in the best shape doesn't mean you can't win," Sky told him. "The winners of seasons one and four weren't very athletic, were they?"

He thought about that for a second. "Huh, you're right. Never considered it like that."

"What about dislikes?" Ella asked. She seemed rather determined to keep the questions going. "You haven't told us that yet."

Beardo hummed. "I'm mostly a chill guy, but there _are_ a couple of things that get to me. Hypocrisy, for one. People who don't practice what they preach are almost always bad news. For two, apples. Can't stand 'em, should never eat 'em." He punctuated it by reaching into his bag and making a show of biting into another apple.

Sammy laughed, louder than before, along with the others. She was thankful that there was at least _some_ humor available during these dark times.

Ella then turned to her, and she instinctively gulped. "Sammy?" she asked, wonder clearly in her eyes.

"Oh. R-Right." She wasn't really looking forward to talking about herself. "So my name is Sammy, but, uh, you know that. It's short for Samantha. And it's definitely _not_ Samey. Please don't call me that."

"We weren't going to," Sky said for everyone.

Sammy allowed herself to smile. "Th-Thank you. Um, I don't have _too_ many interests. I like b-books, and music, and movies, and, uhh…" She fished for something else to say, but came up short. Anything that could be considered an interest was usually taken over or made worse by Amy.

"Cheerleading?" Beardo asked.

"What?" She looked down to her uniform. _Crud, I forgot I was wearing this stupid thing for a second._ "Oh. Right. It, uh, wouldn't really be my first choice of club, but it's where I am now, I guess."

"What does that mean?" Ella asked.

"Just that…" She tried to think of some excuse, something that didn't relate back to Amy, but she was coming up short. She didn't want to talk about it, but knew she wouldn't be able to hide it forever. Rather than continue the tangent, she got straight to the point. "So, um, you're all probably wondering what the deal is between Amy and me."

The three of them looked between each other, slightly shocked by the sudden topic change. "Just a smidge," Beardo said eventually.

With a sigh, she said, "Honestly? I really don't know what her problem is. She just… _hates_ me. With a passion. It's something I've wondered about for years, but I sort of stopped questioning her about it."

"Why's that?" Sky asked. She had a concerned look on her face.

"She just… refuses to answer. I dunno why." She looked up into the cloudless, star-filled sky. "After a few years of it, I just gave up. Figured that I was never going to get anything out of her. That this was how it was going to be, and I had no control over it." She took a shaky breath. "I've sort of come to… accept it now. And expect it. That's just how my life is. Amy will bully me, insult me, hurt me, embarrass me in front of the whole school, force me to do things I don't want to do, all for some unknown reason that I'm likely never to find out. She's never really let up before, and I doubt anything different is going to happen. It…" She looked back down. "It kinda sucks."

No one said anything. Beardo sat upright, his half eaten apple forgotten and fallen to the ground. Ella stared at her with wide eyes, her hands covering her mouth in shock.

Sky, on the other hand, was _fuming_. Her hands harshly clasped her knees, and a scowl had made its way onto her face. Now, in the light of the fire, she _really_ looked intimidating. "How long has this been going on?" she asked. Sammy felt a chill up her spine when she spoke.

"U-Um," she stammered. She knew the answer all too well. "I think it's been something like… t-ten years now? Wait, no, eleven. Since we were five, at least."

She was expecting some sort of outcry, a burst of anger from someone. Instead everyone stayed silent. Sky's clenched hands shook, and Beardo had his arms crossed and was tapping his fingers irritably. And Ella...

Before she knew it, she was tackled into a hug.

"W-What?" she tried to ask, though her voice was muffled by her teammate's shoulder. "Ella?"

She was shushing her, one hand moving down to her back and gently rubbing it. Even though she wasn't vocalizing, she still sounded strained. Sammy wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but it was nice to be hugged for the first time in what felt like forever.

"That's not _fair_ ," Sky said angrily. "Who _does_ that? For _ten years_?"

"Um… Eleven," Sammy quietly corrected.

" _Eleven_ years!" Sky stood up and started pacing, her fists close to her sides. "I can understand bullying in like, elementary school or something. Maybe junior high. But for it to keep going until _now_?" She gave a yell of frustration and kicked a small rock into the woods. Sammy heard it _thunk_ off of a few trees before it stopped. "She sounds like… like a _brat_. A brat who needs to grow up!"

"For real," Beardo said, nodding. "That's just… straight up _messed_ up." He looked at her with heavy eyes. "I don't envy your situation one bit. Sorry we didn't notice this right away."

"I-I-" Ella stammered. She wrapped her thin arms around her and squeezed with what strength she had. "I'm so, _so_ sorry. This isn't what I intended when I started asking the questions. I can get… easily distracted, I wasn't even _thinking_ if I was hurting anyone by-"

"N-No, no, it's fine, you guys," Sammy interrupted. She removed Ella's arms from around her, but still held on to her hands. "You don't need to get angry on my behalf. I'm…" She hesitated on continuing. "...I'm used to it. I guess."

"That's not something you _should_ be used to!" Sky nearly roared, repeating what she said last night. Sammy involuntarily flinched, squeezing Ella's hands in the process.

"Sky, please!" Ella cried out to her.

Her hands shot to her mouth, and any outrage she was feeling seemed to vanish in an instant. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry. I just get… so _furious_ over this sort of stuff. I'll, I'll just-" She took a few deep breaths to calm herself further, and sat back down on her rock. "Okay. I'm good."

This was all far too surreal. Sammy looked at all three of them, to their worried and/or horrified expressions, and realized for the first time that… they actually, probably cared about her? It was a difficult concept to grasp, but… they all seemed so _genuine_. Maybe there were people out there who actually _did_ care about how she was being treated?

But then Amy's words from during the challenge flashed in her head. What if they _didn't_ care, and were just baiting her so they can eliminate her later down the line? What if they were acting, just like Amy would do, or Amy's friends would? She wouldn't put it past them - this _was_ a game where something like that was a common tactic.

"I think we should stop for the night," Ella suggested.

"Agreed," Beardo said. He stood up and stretched. "It's late, and we oughta rest if we want to win tomorrow."

Sky stood up as well. "Plus, we'll be in a better state of mind to figure out what to do with _Amy_."

"Wait, what?" Sammy wasn't sure what she meant by that. "W-What are you going to do with her?"

"Not sure yet," Sky answered. "But I refuse to let her keep harassing you like this. I don't know what I'll do, but I'm going to make sure she knows that picking on you is _not_ acceptable."

Sammy gawked. _She's… going to help me?_ "No, you don't- You guys don't have to-"

"No, we don't," Sky said to her. She crossed her arms and smiled, and despite still being in the light of the fire she looked far less intimidating. Almost… heroic, even. "But we're going to."

She couldn't stop herself. Never in her life had _anyone_ been willing to stick with her and help her overcome Amy. Never before had she actually felt _hope_ , even if it was just the tiniest spark in her heart. Maybe if she actually had support, maybe if she actually had people backing her up rather than throwing herself to the wolves, she'd be able to do something about her sister. Maybe coming onto the show _was_ a good idea.

She couldn't stop herself.

She started ugly sobbing on the spot.

And she couldn't feel happier all the while.


	3. There's Always a First Time

"Don't touch that."

Her hand stopped just short of the apple. "What? Why?"

"Because that's a manchineel fruit. The Spanish call it ' _manzanilla de la muerte_ ', which in English means 'the little apple of death'."

Sammy reactively backed away from it. "Whoa. That… doesn't sound very friendly. What does it do?"

"Inflames your skin something crazy," Shawn told her, picking at a bush not too far from her. "If you eat it, your throat will close up and you'll have trouble breathing and speaking. A _lot_ of trouble."

"Geez. What's something like _this_ doing on the island?"

"I've been thinking the same thing. Remember I said that there's a ton of fruit here from all over the world? It isn't natural. My only guess is that Chris suddenly had an interest in bringing over a bunch of foreign plants and growing them here. _Why_ is beyond me, though."

"Hmm." She eyed the little apple of death warily. "Probably for the chance to see us suffer outside of challenges." As she walked away, she couldn't help but think. "I wonder if I could get Amy to eat it somehow."

Shawn laughed a bit. "I wouldn't be opposed to seeing _that_."

After her little… episode at their campfire last night, Sammy shipped herself right off to bed without any complaints from the others. She fell asleep in seconds, completely drained from the challenge, the crying, and the previous night's tossing and turning. The others were kind enough to give her Dave's blanket, now that he wasn't around to use it, as more cushioning under her to let her sleep easier. It had worked wonders, and she awoke with renewed vigor and a bigger desire to help Shawn pick the morning's breakfast.

She worked alongside the zombie boy mostly in silence, placing her picked berries in the sack, and moving on to the next bush when she felt she had enough. They had returned to the same area as yesterday, apparently to finish where they started rather than begin again somewhere new. 'Always use your most immediate resources first, then move on to finding more,' or so Shawn had said. Remembering the direction she took from yesterday, she finished with the blueberries and walked around a tree, only to stop and stare at an empty area where she thought another bush had been.

She blinked, looked around for strawberry bushes, and was dumbfounded when she came up short. "Huh. That's… weird."

"What's weird?" Shawn asked from not too far away. "Is it zombie tracks?"

"What? Oh, no, I could've sworn there was a strawberry bush around here," she answered. "Pretty sure I picked some before running into Jasmine yesterday…"

"What's that about me?" asked the girl herself, walking over to her. Her own sacks were already filled up with food.

"Oh hey, morning," Sammy said to her happily as Jasmine tipped her hat. "I was just saying, I'm pretty sure I was picking at a strawberry bush when I ran into you yesterday. But it's, like… not here anymore?"

Jasmine looked around the area. "I don't see any strawberry bushes here. Though you _are_ right, I do recall seeing some at the top of your bag yesterday."

Shawn came out from a nearby bush, twigs and leaves stuck to his hat. "You sure you didn't pick any before then?"

Sammy shook her head. "No, I'm positive it was _when_ I saw Jasmine."

"Well, I don't see any around _here_ ," he said after a quick scan of the area. "But there's some over there, where I just was. Maybe that's what you're thinking of?"

She wasn't sure _what_ she was thinking of. Maybe she was thinking the conversation took place _here_ when really it was elsewhere? She wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, since she got stuff wrong all the time. "Y-Yeah, maybe."

With that line of conversation concluded, Jasmine looked down to Shawn. "Also, good morning Shawn."

"Oh, uh, good morning," Shawn said to her with a smile. "H-How's it going?"

"Pretty good. Riding high from our two wins in a row." She said it good-naturedly, and she punched Shawn in the arm lightly. "How's the zombie hunt going?"

Shawn's wide smile - wider than any smile Sammy had seen him wear so far - turned serious and he looked around. "Still nothing, thank goodness, but you can never be too careful. Zombies may not be able to swim, but they also don't need to _breathe_ , so while it could take a while they could easily reach the island by walking under the water."

Jasmine laughed heartily at that, much to Sammy's astonishment. "Too true, mate. Don't worry though, you look tough enough to fend 'em off on your own if you need to."

"Oh, absolutely." He punched the air a few times and struck a battle pose. "I've been training my whole life for this. But, uh, running would be better than fighting at first. Self-preservation, and all."

Sammy looked between the two of them, and after a moment of thinking connected the dots. "Wait, wait," she said, gaining their attention. "You guys know each other?"

"Yeah, we met after you and me parted ways yesterday," Jasmine told her.

Shawn nodded in agreement. "We have a lot in common, as it turns out. We both sleep in trees, for one!"

 _Well, that's… unique. But it seems like they're already hitting it off._ Sammy smiled at them, and noted that they seemed pretty attached to each other already. As such, she decided that she didn't want to be the third wheel. It did _not_ sound appealing to her. "That's awesome. You guys can keep chatting if you want, I'm gonna… uh, go over there. To look for strawberries."

They started talking again, and although the unhelpful part of her brain was making her feel like she just got ditched, Sammy actually didn't mind it this time. In fact, she was rather happy. As odd as it was, Shawn and Jasmine were acting like they'd been friends for a long time already. They seemed like they would be a good fit for each other. She just hoped that Shawn's whole 'zombie' thing didn't get on Jasmine's nerves.

She continued to pick the fruit for her team, making sure to avoid the manchineel fruit and anything else she couldn't immediately identify, and about 15 minutes later Shawn returned to her with a grin from ear to ear.

"Hey," she said, feeling her own smile widen. "You guys seem pretty close."

"What?" Shawn asked. "Nuh-uh. I told you last night, I don't do the whole 'making friends' thing, there's too much compromising going on."

"I dunno. You looked pretty happy when you were talking with her," she said, almost playfully. His reddening face was kind of funny to see. "And _she_ was pretty happy talking to you."

"I, uh. Sh-She's got good advice for survival! Did you know she's lived out on the Australian prairies on her own for a full year? That's more than _I've_ ever done!"

Sammy stopped picking for a moment. "Aren't the animals there super dangerous? That's really impressive."

"Isn't it?!" Shawn nearly screamed, but then he covered his mouth. "I-I mean, yeah, it is."

Sammy genuinely laughed, and she decided she quite liked the feeling. She allowed Shawn to tell her what sorts of things he learned from their supposed enemy, and though she didn't really understand some of it she enjoyed it regardless. After picking five bag-fulls of fruit, they headed back to their camp.

Ella and Beardo were inside the shack conversing, and grinned when Sammy walked through the opening. "We got breakfast," Sammy told them, holding up three of the bags. "Where's Sky?"

"She's gone to get some fresh water," Ella told her as she took the one Sammy held out to her. "She shouldn't be long."

"Good," she replied, handing Beardo his bag. "I wouldn't want her going into the challenge on an empty stomach."

"Think we actually got a chance?" Beardo asked, digging into his meal immediately. "In the challenge, I mean."

Refusing to take a step further in, Shawn said from the entrance, "It'll be tough, but it's doable. I guess we just gotta focus on not screwing up. Again."

Beardo laughed, loudly and sarcastically. "Sounds easy enough. Five against seven, what could go wrong?"

Sammy's laugh in turn was nervous. "Lots of things, I bet. That's why we need to be ready for anything."

"I'm back!" Sky shouted from outside. The sloshing of the water in the bucket was loud and clear, and it reminded Sammy that she hadn't had anything to drink all morning. "And I got water! Everyone drink up!"

They had their fill of fruit and water, and Ella and Beardo thanked the three of them for going out to get them. Sammy grinned and scratched her neck - she wasn't used to being thanked so casually, so it kind of made her feel embarrassed.

"You know, you seem a lot more bubbly today," Beardo said to her.

"Oh?" That wasn't a lie - she was definitely feeling more lively that morning. And it was mainly because she felt better, if only somewhat, now that she knew she had people on her side for once. "You think so?"

"It's rather apparent, yes," Ella said happily. "It suits you though! I'd like to see you smile more often."

Sammy felt her cheeks flush at that, and tried desperately to hide them. "R-Really?" she stammered. "Gosh, I'll try, I guess." Most times that was easier said than done, but today was different. She was going to _really_ try to smile more often.

The sound of humming came from her right. Sky was staring at the ground, idly munching on berries and deep in thought about something.

"I wonder what she's thinking so hard about," Sammy asked, purposefully changing the topic. She took a sip of water from one of the cups Shawn salvaged from the garbage pile Chris never bothered to close off. Apparently everything was still free for the pickings, including all of the bags used for foraging.

Beardo looked between the two of them, and a sly grin crept on his face. "That's a tough question to answer. People can be thinking about _anything_. So I guess you could say that," he paused and grinned, just at the same time that Sky looked up in realization, "the _sky's the limit_."

Sammy nearly choked and almost spat out her water, but she managed to keep it in. She swallowed and laughed loudly behind her hand, not caring if the others found it weird. Puns were funny to her, but she rarely got to enjoy them since Amy hated them.

It felt like today was going to be a good day, if the fact that she'd laughed twice already was any indication.

Sky gave both her and Beardo an unimpressed stare. Sammy immediately stopped laughing and turned away, though she continued to grin. To Beardo, Sky said, "I've heard them all plenty of times. They don't affect me anymore."

Beardo shrugged, casually lounging on his side. "Figured I'd get at least one in."

"What has you so focused, Sky?" Ella asked her.

"I'm trying to see if I can figure out what the challenge may be about," Sky answered, "but I haven't gotten anywhere yet, and I've been thinking all morning." She sighed and took some food from her bag. "I'm close to giving up."

"Knowing the show and its host," Shawn said, leaning on what passed as a doorframe, "it could literally be anything. I wouldn't get too caught up in your head about that."

"I mean, I know what you're saying," Sky told him, "but I figured we'd need to do something a bit different if we wanted to win for once."

"And 'working more as a team' isn't enough?" he asked with air quotes.

"It doesn't hurt to have a backup plan."

"But how can we possibly figure out what Chris has in store for us?" Ella asked. "There's no pattern based on previous seasons, I don't believe."

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Sky rubbed her temples and sighed.

"It might just be something we _can't_ figure out," Beardo said.

They sat in silence for a while. Sammy desperately tried to think of some way they could turn the game to their advantage, but without knowing what to expect, she was really unsure of what they could do.

It turned out to be pointless, however, as Chris's voice was heard all over the island, telling them it was time to play.

"Guess we've got no choice but to wing it," Shawn said, removing himself from the entrance and heading off on his own.

Ella stood and stretched. "Let's just try our best. That's all we can do, and there's no shame if we lose despite it."

"She's right," Sky said. They all made their way out of the shack and followed after Shawn. "Let's do what we can, and if we lose…" She paused, and sighed. "Well, we'll deal with that if we cross that bridge."

* * *

Her team reached the designated meeting area, where Chris and Chef were standing in front of a crate full of balloons of all things. Sammy was also pleasantly surprised to see that they had arrived there before most of the other team - the only Salmon was Topher, who was excitedly talking to Chris. She still chalked it up as a win against her sister, regardless of how small it was.

That feeling of triumph was gone the moment the others made it to the clearing and predictably, Amy wasn't too thrilled to see her.

"Are you _kidding_ me?" she growled, and stalked up to her. Sammy felt herself involuntarily slinking back behind her team. "How have you _not_ voted her off already? That should've been like, the easiest decision to make!"

Sammy grumbled and looked away. She knew it was going to come to this, but she had hoped just a little that maybe Amy would take it easy on her for once. But like always, reality hated her _._

But then the unthinkable happened, and Sky walked in front of her with a scowl. "We haven't voted her off because she hasn't done anything to deserve it," she said. Amy's furrowed brow shot up in surprise. "Sammy's been playing her part in the team since the very beginning. I have _no_ clue where you get the idea that she needs to leave, and I have no clue just _what_ your problem is with her, but I think maybe you need to change the way you treat her."

Amy sputtered, trying and failing to respond, and all the while Sammy stared in astonishment. Shockingly, Sky was actually sticking with her promise to do something about Amy. Truthfully, it probably wasn't _that_ shocking - she did say that she liked fairness over all, and Amy was anything but fair. This was probably something she'd been intending to do from the start.

Sammy wanted to say something too, to say _anything_ to Amy. And with support from her teammates, she thought she would have been able to do it. But just a single look at Amy was enough to shut down any argument she may have had. _What's the point in standing up, if you're just going to be pushed back down the second you do?_

"Who do you think you are, you little runt?" Amy asked Sky, leaning over her to make it look like she was towering, though Sky didn't back down for a second. "This is between me and my sister, so kindly _back the hell off._ "

"I don't think I will," Sky said with as much venom in her voice.

Amy's eyes squinted, but her smirk returned to her when it was clear Sammy wasn't going to say anything. Instead of looking down at Sky, she instead looked over her at Sammy. "Pig got your tongue, _Samey_? Or maybe you finally figured out your place." She crossed her arms and laughed. "In which case, good for you! You actually did something right for once."

She felt her fists clenched so hard they started to hurt, and her teeth but her lip so fiercely she was afraid she'd draw blood. _It's easier to just stay down, but… does that mean I'm just going to give up? To stay as her personal pincushion for the rest of my life? I don't want that, I want to be my own person. And if I accept being pushed down as my reality, then I'm never going to do so. I need to stand up, I really need to stand up, so freaking_ do it _already, Samantha!_

She felt a large, warm hand clap her on the shoulder, and two smaller hands wreathed in silk reached around her fist and held it. It was a very good reminder to have.

_I can do this. I can do this._

She looked up and at her sister, mustering what felt like a lifetime's worth of resentment into a glare. Amy's smirk fell away, Sky gained one and backed away, and Sammy genuinely felt like she was able to say something to her sister. She decided on what to say, took a deep breath to steady herself, opened her mouth…

And was interrupted by the screeching of a whistle.

"As entertaining as this is," Chris said, putting it away, "we're on a tight schedule, so if I can get you guys to _shut up_ for a bit, that'd be great."

Amy gave her one final glower, then returned to her team. Jasmine was likewise scowling, directing it entirely toward Amy. At least she had someone on the other team backing her up as well.

Beardo and Ella gave her reassuring squeezes with their hands, and Sky gave her a saddened look. Sammy, meanwhile, let out a sigh. She had been _so close_. She was going to have to build up to that level of determination to even think about confronting Amy again. Chris had that same self-serving smile on his face, and she _knew_ he purposefully called off the fight then and there.

It just wasn't _fair_.

"It'll be okay," Ella was saying softly.

"I know," Sammy said. She wasn't sure if she believed it.

When everyone settled down, Chris introduced the challenge - a team deathmatch where both sides take each other out using the balloons in the crate. "Each balloon houses a special something, and if you get hit by whatever's in them, you're immediately out of the game. What's in the balloons, you ask? Who knows. They wouldn't be surprises otherwise."

"Ooh!" Ella chirped. "That sounds fun! Who doesn't love a surprise?" She nudged Sammy in the arm, and she could only smile weakly at her and nod. It was obvious she was trying to lighten Sammy's mood. It wasn't really working, but she appreciated the gesture.

"None of you!" Chris shouted at her in response. "No one here is going to enjoy these surprises!"

"Oh," Ella mumbled. "That's a shame."

From the other team, Scarlett raised a hand. "How much of the… _surprises_ must be on a person for them to be counted as eliminated from the challenge?"

"Any small bit is enough," Chris answered, to the gasps of the many. "That's what makes it so tense for you guys, and so enjoyable for me." He held up a stopwatch. "You have 10 seconds to pick as many balloons as you can. Starting _now_."

He clicked the watch, and everyone nearly tripped over each other trying to get to the crate. Sammy found herself forced aside by some of the others, but 10 seconds wasn't a long time, and soon she was quickly stacking as many balloons in her arms as she could.

Coincidentally, Jasmine was there too. "Saw what you tried to do just then," she started, rising from the crate with about four balloons in her hands. "Good to see you're finally starting to stand up for yourself."

"Oh, ahh," Sammy stammered, managing to only get about three in her hands without difficulty, and stood back upright as well. "I-It's tougher to do than you might think."

"Fair enough. But hey, you took the first step to do it, and that's what matters. You'll get there soon, I know you will!" Jasmine started taking off in one direction, and called over her shoulder. "Good luck, mate! You're gonna need it!"

Sammy laughed nervously and sped off in the opposite direction. "Yeah, we definitely are."

She passed by a few trees and jumped over a rock, but came to a stop when a hand reached out and blocked her way.

" _Ahh!_ " Sammy shrieked, already holding up a balloon in self defense.

"Wait, hang on!" Sky said, coming out from behind a tree. One arm was raised in surrender. "It's just me!"

"Oh! God, Sky, you scared me!" Sammy lowered the balloon and sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. I just saw you coming this way and thought… we should stick together for this."

Sammy blinked. "You want to pair up with… _me_?"

"Yeah," Sky said. "Normally I'd do a challenge like this on my own, so I could focus better, but it'd probably be good to have someone watching my back. Plus, we'd have better chances of taking the others out." She paused for a second, and with a strained smile said, "Also I don't want your sister going anywhere near you."

If she were being honest, Sammy never saw this coming. She still had a long way to go before she got used to the kindness of others, it seemed. "Oh, well, in that case, sure! Which way should we go?"

Sky shrugged, and turned back on the path Sammy was already running on. "Whatever way you want to go."

She grinned and nodded, and they took off. They kept running as fast as they could, not passing by anyone from either team, which Sammy supposed was a blessing. After about a minute an air horn sounded over the speakers, and signalled the start of the challenge.

"This should be good," Sky said, quieter than before. "I think we're far enough away that we'll be difficult to find."

"Let's keep walking though, just in case," Sammy said.

"Good idea."

The two of them kept moving at a slower pace, the shorter athlete pointing out sticks and such for her to avoid stepping on. Sammy was sure that she would not have seen any of them had she been on her own, so she was pretty thankful her teammate was there.

What felt like maybe 15 minutes passed, and they had yet to come across anyone else. Sky seemed to be getting restless, and decided to break the silence. "Can I ask a question?"

"Yeah, of course," Sammy replied. She held up a tree branch and allowed Sky to walk under it.

"Thanks. I was wondering about something from last night."

 _...Oh._ This _will be fun._ "Wh-What about last night?"

"You sort of stopped yourself before you could say it, but… was it Amy who got you into cheerleading?"

"Oh, um. Yeah, pretty much," she sighed. "She joined back in like, eighth grade because she saw all the popular girls sign up for it, and roped me in along with her. It's never been my thing, but... I'm still in it, I guess. Both of us are."

"Why'd she force you to do it, anyway?"

"I dunno," she said in a sigh. "Probably just as another excuse for her to compare herself to me and show me up." As much as she hated to admit it, cheerleading _was_ something Amy was better at than her.

"Hmm. Do you… like it?" Sky asked. "At all?"

"Uh…" Sammy actually had to think about that one. "I-I mean, I guess it's alright? It helps me stay in shape. And I've sort of taken up running as a hobby because of it."

Sky's head practically shot in her direction. "Wait, you run too?"

"Oh, no, I- Well," she stopped and let herself breathe. "I mean, I do, but definitely not as much as you do. I'm not planning on becoming a gold medalist or anything, but I still try to go for one every morning. Actually, it's funny." She laughed a bit behind her hand. "It's technically Amy's fault I took it up as a hobby."

"What do you mean?" Sky asked, pushing aside a bush and walking over it.

Sammy just stepped over it entirely. "Amy got me onto the cheerleading team, but one of the requirements everyone has to do is to go for morning runs every now and then. The coaches say it's something to do with 'keeping the spirit alive by waking up consistently', or some crap like that. I don't think anyone on the team believes it though."

Sky giggled. "Sounds like even the coaches don't believe it."

"I know, right? Anyway, both of us tried it out on the first day, and Amy _hated it_. Like, seriously, when her alarm went off, she threw her phone against the wall so hard it broke."

"Whoa."

"Yeah, it was _way_ too early for her. She still went, but after that day she swore off morning runs forever. Which… was a good thing."

Sky stepped around a puddle of mud. "Oh really?"

"Mm-hm." Sammy did the same. "Even though she didn't go the second time or any other time after that, I still did. And it sort of… became a hobby of mine. Mainly because Amy wasn't around to ruin it, and also because it's decent exercise."

Sky gave her a wry smile. "I do like how her pulling you into it gave you the chance of doing something without her."

 _Finally, someone gets it_. "Ironic, right? Sometimes I like to think I'm the one in better shape because of it." She knew Amy would refute that to the bitter end, however.

They walked a little further in silence. Sammy almost dropped a balloon at one point, but Sky had quick enough reflexes to catch it for her. They entered a small clearing, the trees encircling it on every side, and Sky asked, "Why do you let her push you around like that, anyway?"

Sammy stopped in her tracks. "W-What?"

Sky also stopped a little bit in front of her and turned to face her. "Why do you let her do these things to you? Forcing you to do something you don't really care for, calling you out in front of everyone… I know you're trying to stand up, and that's good! I'm just wondering why it's… taken this long, I suppose."

Sammy actually had to think about the answer to that. "Because I-" she started, then stopped when she realized she had nothing to say. "Because she-" Nothing for that as well. What did she want to say anyway? Or was she just trying to come up with an excuse for it?

After a few more moments of thought, Sammy had her answer. "Because up until recently, it was just the way things were. And it's taken me all this time to realize that it… well, that it doesn't have to be this way. So I'm trying to change that." She shrugged helplessly. "A lot of good that's doing."

"Progress doesn't happen in just a few days," Sky told her gently. "It can take a long time to get to somewhere you're comfortable with. But you've already shown you're willing to actually work towards it, and that's incredible! I know that if you keep at it you'll get where you want to be."

"Wow…" That was probably one of the nicest things anyone had said to her so far. Her team had to have been the friendliest of the two, for sure. "Y-You really think so?"

"I know so," Sky said. "And we're going to be with you every step of the way."

Sammy felt like she could cry on the spot again, but held on to whatever little bit of dignity she had left. "Thank you. I… I really appreciate it. Hey… so, um, does that mean-"

Sammy never got the chance to ask, as one of Sky's balloons suddenly burst and drenched her and the surrounding ground in red.

Sammy screeched and backed away as quickly as possible. None of the red stuff seemed to have reached where she was standing, but she did a quick check over herself and saw no darker red stains on her red uniform. Her skin and hair seemed fine as well, so she probably was safe.

Unfortunately, Sky was most certainly not. It took her a few seconds of gaping in shock, and reaching down to pick up what looked like a blow dart, but then the rage came knocking all at once. " _Seriously_?! They blew up my balloon?! Ugh, lousy, no-good _cheaters_!"

"Update number one! It's now seven to four, as Team Kinosewak draws first blood!" Chris announced over the speakers with a laugh. "Almost literally, too!"

"This counts?!" Sky demanded, looking in every direction from the speaker. "That's not even close to fair!"

"When has this game _ever_ been fair, Sky?" Chris answered, and went radio silent.

Sky growled and threw the dart into the woods. "Stupid Chris and his stupid lack of rules! This isn't friendly competition at all!"

She was being rather theatrical, and the irony that the person going on about fair play was also a name-calling sore loser wasn't lost on Sammy, but there were more important things at hand. The fact that this was partially Sammy's fault, for one. "OMG, Sky, I am so, _so_ sorry," she said to her teammate, walking just a bit closer. The red stuff was dripping off of her, and if she squinted she could have mistaken it for actual blood. "This is totally my fault, I shouldn't have stopped us here-"

As if remembering that she wasn't alone, Sky's head shot over in her direction so fast that the red stuff flew off of her in a wave. "Sammy! Get to cover, before they get you too!"

 _Oh that would make sense._ "Ahh, right right, I'm going!" She dove for the nearest cover, behind a rather large tree, and wrapped her arms around her balloons as well as she could to protect them. She had no clue what direction the enemies were in, but she wasn't willing to take any chances.

Sky followed her less hurriedly, and crouched nearby while making sure that none of the gunk was getting on Sammy. She wiped her face off with her hands, flinging it off onto the ground and tree. Sammy noticed that it sort of smelled like ketchup, although it was sort of… gross. More than likely it was severely outdated. "This is all my fault," Sammy groaned, leaning against the tree and clamping her eyes shut. "I'm sorry you got taken out so early. I should've been quieter."

"This isn't your fault," Sky sighed, sitting on the ground and trying desperately to wipe the ketchup off of her clothes. "I asked you to team up with me, so if this is on anyone, it's me."

The tone of her voice suggested that she regretted the decision to invite her, which to be honest didn't do wonders for Sammy's self-esteem. "R-Right. Still, I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Sky must have noticed how disheartened it sounded, as her face contorted into something akin to sorrow. "Sammy, I didn't mean it like that. Look, what's done is done. We got caught with our head in the clouds, and we probably shouldn't have spoken like that until after the game was done. But," she looked Sammy squarely in the eyes, "don't think for a second that this means I think any less of you. This just means we have to be more careful in the future. You're not in trouble or anything, but I do need you to get back in the game and _focus_."

Sammy set her mouth in a line and nodded vigorously. "I can do that, I promise." _I can't let anyone down now. I've already caused enough damage._

"Good." Sky smiled again, though it was a little strained. "…Oh, wait, can you do something else for me?"

"Yes, absolutely. What is it?"

"We need to warn the others," she said. "Tell them that someone's popping our own balloons on us, and tell them to _be careful_. There's only four of us left, anyone else getting taken out would probably mean defeat for us."

 _That's a cheery thought._ "Okay," Sammy said with a resolute nod. She stood up, looked for the best direction to go in, and started off for it. "I'll do my best!"

"Oh, Sammy, one last thing!"

She stopped in her tracks and turned back around. "Yeah?"

Sky gave her a grin that radiated confidence and two thumbs up. "I believe in you. You got this!"

It seemed that the island was home to many firsts for her. Sammy grinned back, gave a quick 'Thanks, see you later, also sorry again', and took off once more.

* * *

Ducking and dodging past branches and bushes, Sammy made her way to who knew where, as far and as fast as her legs could take her. She actually ended up hitting the border of the game area, and had to be directed back into the forest by the crew before she went out of bounds and was disqualified.

As she was doubling back into the forest, she started gasping heavier and heavier. She had been exerting too much energy - she'd need to slow down and rest for a moment.

But where was a good spot? Most of the area she was in was rather out in the open, and she didn't want to risk being found, or have her balloons popped from afar. She considered climbing a tree and hiding in its leaves, but that was impossible while carrying three balloons; she'd have to be empty handed before even considering it.

In the end she decided to just hide behind a larger than average tree, close to the bushes in case she needed to make a beeline for cover. From what she could hear - or rather, what she couldn't - there didn't seem to be anyone around. This was probably her best chance to catch her breath.

She panted, and came to a stop near a tree. "Can't wait too long," she said to herself, "gotta find the others and warn them-"

She put her hand on the tree to steady herself, and was shocked to feel the bark of the tree felt very much like a scruffy face.

For the third time in about an hour, Sammy screamed and jumped back. She had a balloon at the ready, just in case it turned out to be someone on the other team, or worse, some sort of tree monster come to life that planned to eat her (she had nightmares for a little while after seeing the mutants from season four, so this reaction was very rational).

She held back another shriek when a set of eyes opened on the tree, looked directly at her, and started towards her. "G-Get back!" she cried, threatening it with the balloon. "I swear, I taste awful!"

"Wha-" The thing stopped and held out two hands. "Wait, no! Sammy, it's me, Shawn!"

Sammy stopped trembling and squinted. Beneath the bark-colored gunk covering him, it actually _was_ Shawn, giving her a weak smile. "What? Shawn? Really?"

"Yeah! I just covered myself in mud and moss, and _boom_ , instant camouflage. Uh, though I bet my face is kinda smudged now." He bent down to the ground and plastered his nose with a handful of dirt, much to Sammy's disgust. "I knew all of that time decorating cakes in the bakery would come in handy some day!"

"You learned to do this from decorating _cakes_?" Sammy asked, flabbergasted. "I was sort of expecting you to say you learned it because you wanted to hide from zombies."

He raised a brow. "Uh, yeah? That's why I worked in a bakery, so I could learn how to do cakeup."

Sammy snorted involuntarily and covered her mouth. " _Cakeup_? Okay, that's more groan-worthy than anything else, I think."

Shawn just stared at her. "What is?" he genuinely asked.

She stopped laughing immediately. "Uhh, never mind. Listen," she quickly changed the subject, "someone managed to pop Sky's balloon on her without us seeing them. We don't know who it was, but it could've been anyone on the Salmons' team. We need to be careful and protect ourselves and our balloons."

Shawn rubbed his chin a bit, inadvertently smearing the cakeup. "Huh, smart trick. Can't really think of who it could be tho-" He stopped himself and held a finger to his mouth. Sammy covered hers so she didn't accidentally make a sound, and strained her ears as Shawn was doing to see if she could hear anything. It sounded as if there were people walking and talking, not too far away. Shawn waved his hand to the ground, and the two of them crawled to a bush in the direction of the voices.

Peering out from behind, Sammy spotted Max and Scarlett walking and talking with each other, and from the look of it they weren't even paying attention to their surroundings. "This could be our chance," Shawn told her quietly.

She frowned and looked from the two opposing team members down to her own balloons. The creeping sensation of anxiety was rising in her. "Are you sure? I don't want to miss."

He gave her a look. "It's either take the shot and probably hit, or don't and definitely miss. Besides, they have no balloons themselves, so they can't strike back. Your call."

 _Well, when you put it that way…_ Sammy sighed and nodded. "Okay, okay, I get it. Where are your balloons, by the way?"

He pointed to his head, and removed his still-mud-covered hat to reveal that he had hidden them underneath it. "For safekeeping and reliable access."

Sammy shrugged, starting to get used to his oddities.

"You aim for Max, I'll go for Scarlett," Shawn told her. Sammy nodded, and took the balloon she had threatened him with earlier into her hand. "On three, okay?"

"Okay." She really hoped she was ready for this.

"One… two… _three!_ " The two stood up and threw their balloons with all of their might. For a split second Sammy thought she had missed, but whatever was in her balloon must have realigned its trajectory, as it landed straight between Max's eyes and burst on contact. It looked like pink paint, but almost to the point of looking gooey.

"Yes!" Shawn cried out, and Sammy noticed that Scarlett had been hit in the chest by his balloon, producing what looked like _actual_ goo. "Dead center!"

"We did it!" Sammy likewise cheered when it became apparent that it actually _worked_.

"Nicely done!" Shawn congratulated her. The two of them high-fived, though Sammy was morbidly aware that Shawn's muddy hands left her's just as dirty. She squirmed and shook it off as quickly as she could.

" _Reveeeenge!_ " Max yelled at them, both hands raised into fists. "I swear to you that your coming days will be filled with nothing but _dread_ , and _torture_ , and _eee-_ " Whatever he was going to finish with, the paint dripping into his opened mouth stopped him and forced him to sputter and spit it out as fast as he could. And even though Scarlett's glasses were covered in slime, it was still plain as day that she was rolling her eyes at him.

"Hm," Shawn murmured. "I dunno who popped Sky's balloon, but it definitely wasn't Max."

"Oh, absolutely not," Sammy agreed.

"Now then, since _that's_ taken care of," Shawn said as he walked away from their hiding bush, "I'm going off on my own. Easier to stay quiet that way."

"Yeah, that'll be best," Sammy said. She didn't want a repeat of what happened with Sky. "If you see one of the others, let them know that someone's trying to sabotage us, okay?"

"You got it." He took off at a sprint. "Stay out of their crosshairs!"

"You too!"

He was gone then, and Sammy was left with a bit of hope in her heart. Scarlett was absentmindedly, if grumpily, wiping down her glasses, while Max was still coughing up pink and didn't seem to think about wiping his face down. Sammy knew that the rest of the Salmons team weren't going to be so easy - particularly Jasmine, if what Shawn was saying about her survival skills were anything to go by - but she knew that if she tried her best and not get taken out, then there was always a chance.

With that thought in mind, she turned and ran off.

* * *

She kept moving at a quick but quiet pace. She had walked what felt like all over the forest, and now she couldn't make a guess as to where she was. After another 20 minutes, Sammy found herself walking carefully down a trail, sticking close to the trees and bushes just in case. She still had two balloons left, so she needed to be extra careful with them.

The sound of talking was becoming more and more apparent, and so Sammy crouched down again and stuck close to the bushes, trying to find the source. When she got close enough, she looked over her cover and had to hold in a gasp.

Amy was there, barely paying attention to Rodney as he looked ready to bawl his eyes out. She felt her hands clutch her balloons harder - this could be her chance _,_ she could probably, finally manage to one-up Amy at something of her own free will. And heck, maybe in the confusion she could get Rodney all the while. They were standing somewhat close together, she could get two of them with one shot. Maybe.

But unfortunately, it seemed like luck wasn't on her side. As Rodney was talking about… something to do with grapes and shampoo and crabs, Amy faked a yawn and walked away from him. "Right, I don't know, or care, about whatever you're saying, sooo I'm leaving now. 'Kay, byeee."

She was out of sight before Sammy could do anything about it. She let out the bated breath she was holding, and resigned herself to getting back at her some day later.

That said, there still _was_ a Salmon left out in the open… and Rodney was a big boy, so she'd actually have to try to miss him. He was still talking nonsense, having yet to realize that Amy had left. She kind of felt bad for him, but readied one of her balloons nonetheless. "Sorry, Rodney, but you're leaving yourself wide open," she said quietly.

She was in the motion of winding up her throw when, to her shock, the sound of a fog horn of all things erupted from somewhere. Rodney jumped and looked around for the source, at which point another balloon flew in from the opposite side of where she was and smacked him in the back of the head. It covered him in some sort of black powder, and he screamed from the impact. "I deserved - _achoo!_ \- that!" Rodney cried once more, and ran off opposite from Amy, sneezing the entire way out.

From across the way, Sammy spotted Beardo poking his head out from behind a tree. "Ha! Bullseye!" He punctuated the victory with a noise that sounded like it could have come from a bull, but Sammy wasn't sure. She was happy he managed to get someone out, though.

She was just about to stand and congratulate him, but immediately ducked back down when Amy re-entered the area with a balloon in hand. "I heard that stupid noise!" Amy shouted. "Get your butt out here, you overgrown bush!"

Amy not targeting her for once was a relief, but if Beardo was in her sights then he was in for a load of trouble. But… if she _was_ going after Beardo, this was her chance to get her. Lady Luck was giving her another shot at this, so she couldn't let it slip from her fingers again.

She heard a mouse's squeak, followed by her sister triumphantly shouting "Found you!" and the sound of fading footsteps. She parted the bush and looked out just in time to see Amy running in the direction Beardo had been.

"Aw crap, I can't lose her!" Sammy burst from the bush, looked both ways to make sure _she_ wasn't being followed, and took off after them in a sprint.

She didn't get very far before she heard a deep yell, at which point she skidded to a stop next to a tree and took cover. Pushing down a branch to see easier, she spied her teammate on the ground and covered in something that was… _moving_.

"Agh, worms?!" Beardo cried out, hastily rising to his feet and wiping himself down. " _Nasty!_ "

Amy, standing not too far with a hand on her hip, shivered at the sight. "Yuck, I was carrying that?" She shrugged. "Oh well, better on you than anywhere near me."

Beardo, finally getting all of the worms off of him, gave her a glare. "That's cold, girl. No wonder Sammy's had enough of you."

Amy scoffed and flicked her hair. "Puh- _lease_. Samey _knows_ she's nothing without me. She's been stuck to me ever since we were born because she can't do anything by herself!"

Sammy's grip on the tree tightened to the point where its branch was bent at an angle. _That's not true! I want to get out of your shadow more than_ anything _! I don't want to be stuck at your side for the rest of my life, you ungrateful little-_

"You ever stop to think about what _she_ wants?" Beardo was asking. He had his arms crossed and held his gaze firm. "Or maybe even ask? Something tells me you haven't."

"Who cares what she has to think? Besides, why do _you_? You've barely known her for three days, why bother taking her side?"

"You need to get your eyes checked, because you clearly haven't seen what the rest of us have. Girl's just crying for help, to be saved from her big sister, and who the heck are we to just ignore her? Who are _you_ to even be like you are to her? How can you look at yourself in the mirror and think, 'I've tortured my sister for 10 years and can't wait to do it again today' without a shred of remorse? What sort of sick monster _does that_?!"

Amy was stunned into silence, her haughty demeanor deflating and the balloons in her hands nearly dropping to the ground. Sammy, meanwhile, was stunned that Beardo, someone she hadn't known for very long at all, was sticking up for her so vehemently, just like Sky had been. She was grateful for it, to be sure, but also, she felt _motivated_.

If Beardo and Sky were going to defend her, why couldn't she do it herself? She had been thinking that Amy was untouchable for so long, but a few days on the island and her sister was already finding enemies on both teams. So why couldn't one of them be her?

Recovering from the shock of actually getting told off for once in her life, Amy swiveled on her heel and started walking off. "W-Whatever! This is a waste of my time." She laughed and decided to get in one last jab. "Why does everything have to be about Samey anyway? She doesn't deserve having people on her side at all. She's not _worth it._ "

Sammy saw red, and the branch in her hand snapped.

She ran out into the field. "It's never about me!" she shouted. "It's always about _you!_ "

She threw the balloon with all of her might, aiming right for her sister's head. In hindsight, she probably shouldn't have shouted at her - as soon as she started speaking Amy had turned around and gasped at the sight her. This also gave her enough time to hastily and gracelessly leap to the side and dodge the balloon, though it just barely missed her.

The balloon hit the ground and burst into white powder, but Sammy's attention was elsewhere. Amy twisted around so as to not land on her own balloons, but she lost one in the fall. It flew far out of her reach, and popped as it landed on a rock, coating it in a thick brown pudding. She fumbled with the remaining balloon as she sat up, looking at the spot where Sammy's balloon hit, and turned back to glare daggers at her. " _Samey_!"

"Why does everything have to be about _you_?!" Sammy shrieked, matching her sister's glare. "Why can't it be about me for once?! Every day of my life with you is a nightmare that I can't wake up from! Do you know how tiring it is to get up every single morning and know that nothing's going to go your way at all? That you're just going to be doing whatever someone else says because they make you? It's frustrating and degrading and _I'm sick of it_!" She raised her last balloon in defiance. "And most of all, _I'm sick of you!_ "

Amy's glare never left her face, but it was more subdued. Slowly she rose to her feet, making sure to stay far away from her popped balloon. Beardo was still nearby, silently watching, but Sammy refused to tear her gaze from her sister.

They stared each other down for a long time. If she had been in the right headspace, she would have thrown the balloon before her sister rose to her feet, but her fury had gotten the better of her. Now she was too worried she'd miss again if she threw it now, so she simply held it in place for the right moment.

And then, to her burning anger, Amy smiled cruelly.

"Oh, Samey, Samey, Samey," she started, shaking her head. Sammy felt her spirit start to rapidly drain. "Just listen to yourself right now. You're being so _selfish_ , you know that?"

The balloon lowered, just a bit. "W-What?"

Amy chuckled. "As if you don't see it." In a higher pitched, mocking voice, she said, "'Ooh, look at me, I'm _Samey_. Amy's a _monster_ and _I'm_ the _nice one_. Wah, wah, wah!'" She put a hand on her hip. "You see? I bet all this time you've just been complaining about me and putting yourself on this angelic little pedestal. Trying to make me look bad in front of your team so they can feel _sorry_ for you and _pity_ you. Isn't that right?"

Sammy's ears were starting to ring, and she was breaking out into a cold sweat. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. "I-I… N-No, that's not what I-"

"It's what you _always_ try to do," she continued. Amy took one step forward, and Sammy took two back. "Don't try to deny it. You're constantly trying to hog the spotlight, and it makes you look desperate and ridiculous. You should really think about someone else before yourself, you know?"

The balloon fell to her side.

_Am I… Am I actually being selfish? Am I really making this all about me? I just want to be my own person and not someone's slave. Is it… Is it wrong for me to want that?_

"Yo, Sammy!"

She jolted out of her head and looked over to Beardo. He had his hands cupped over his mouth, looking furious. "Don't listen to what she's saying! She's just trying to trick you! It's what people like her do!"

The self-satisfied smirk on Amy's face instantly morphed into a snarl as she turned to Beardo. "Stay _out of this_ , hairball! This doesn't involve you!"

"It does when you involve my friends!"

In that instant, time seemed to stop for Sammy. "F… Friends?"

"Just shut up!" Amy shouted at him as she stomped a foot. "Leave, you're already out of the game!"

"Yeah, well…" He thought for a moment. "At least my hair's not _dead!_ "

" _What_? Ex _cuse_ _me_?!" She turned fully to Beardo, almost completely back on to Sammy. "My hair is _perfect_! Say that again, I _dare_ you!"

Beardo gladly did so, but Sammy's thoughts overtook her attention. _She was just… tricking me? Has she always been doing that? Is that why I can never break away from her? She…_ Realization hit her like a truck. _She's always… been making me feel like the bad guy. She keeps making me feel like I'm at fault, when I'm not! It's always been her, trying to trick me, to manipulate me into being a doormat!_

She clutched the balloon in her hand, not hard enough to pop it but enough to be reminded of what she needed to do. "Not anymore," she whispered.

Sammy wound up, aimed right for the head, and fired.

The shot was a little off, hitting her right upside the ear, but it didn't really matter how accurate it was as long as it hit its target. Amy screeched as dark green gunk splattered all over her head. She dropped the one balloon she had left to the ground and didn't acknowledge it as it burst on contact.

She staggered as she attempted to swipe the stuff off, but it stuck to her and refused to budge. It almost looked like moss or algae or something, and was dripping off of her in chunks. She started quivering and muttering something, whether in disgust or in rage Sammy wasn't sure. Then she turned around and glared murder at Sammy, and she knew which one.

Her head was telling her to run, to get out of there before things got worse, to fly instead of fight. But her heart forced it down, and she stood her ground.

She was tired of flying. It was time to start fighting.

" _Samey!_ " Amy howled. The algae had fallen onto her uniform and the rest of her body, and with each passing second she was starting to look like some sort of sea monster. _Or a zombie, Shawn would probably say._

"I'm done with you, Amy!" she told her, refusing to back down from the glare. "You can hate me and despise me all you want, but I refuse to have _anything_ to do with you anymore. I don't need you, I-" She sent a glance over to Beardo, who was grinning from ear to ear. "I have _friends_ now, who care about me and support me, and there's nothing _you_ can do to change that."

"You don't know that," Amy growled. "They'll just use you and throw you away when they're done."

"That sounds more like something _you_ would do." Then something came to her. "Actually, what about you?"

Amy squinted at her through the mush. "What _about_ me?"

"You've spent all this time talking crap about me - I know you have, don't deny it," she said as Amy opened her mouth to speak. "But I'm honestly willing to bet that that's _all_ you've done. I've spent my time making friends and allies, but what about you? I know Jasmine doesn't like you, but how many of the others don't as well?"

Not one to back down from a verbal challenge, she opened her mouth, but stopped before any sound came out, and took a long time thinking that over. There must have been some realization going on, as her brows scrunched, the smirk fell, and her eyes started flickering about in unrest.

 _So… she hasn't even tried to get to know anyone yet. More than likely spent too much time trying to build herself up by bringing me down._ There was a pang of pity in the back of Sammy's head, but she quickly dismissed it. She didn't want to be feeling anything but righteous anger at her sister.

"I figured as much," she said aloud. "But whatever. I'm done here." She started walking away. "I need to get back to the game." She stopped, thinking of one more thing to say. "Oh, also? My name is _Sammy._ Not that _ridiculous_ nickname you forced on me. So I would really appreciate it if you stopped using that one and started using my real name again."

Amy's eyes flew back up to her, looking crazed from a certain angle. She wiped more algae off of her face, smearing her cheek in the process, and stared at it in her hand.

Then she began slowly walking towards Sammy.

"What are you doing?" Sammy asked, backing up just a bit.

"Chris never said anything about people out of the game not being able to take out anyone else," Amy said. "Only that any bit of 'surprise' on someone gets them out."

 _...Oh no_. She felt herself backing up even further. Sure, Chris didn't say anything about it, but that would be a huge oversight if he allowed that to happen. All things considered, it probably wouldn't count. Or, it could result in some sort of penalty. And Amy wouldn't actually risk that, would she? "No, no no no. They probably thought of that, I'm pretty sure it won't count. Either that, or you'll get in trouble."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." And with that said, she made a mad dash for Sammy like a wild animal.

Sammy didn't need any other incentive - she turned on her heel and ran as fast as she could. Of course Amy would try something that stupid and petty, just so she could get back at her.

She didn't have very far to run before she heard her sister yelp, and she looked back and saw Beardo scooping Amy up in his arms, bear-hug style, and kept her there.

"Hey, hey!" she shouted at him, squirming to get free. "Let me _go_ , grease stain!"

Her teammate was clearly struggling to keep her still, especially when she started kicking. " _Geez_ , you're feisty. Sammy, you best get out of her before I lose my grip on her." When kicking didn't work, she attempted reaching down with her mouth and biting his arm, though she was just short of it. "Uh, sooner rather than later please!"

"Right, I'm gone," she said as she picked up her pace. "Thanks Beardo! I owe you one!"

"Heck yeah you do!" he called out just as she left the clearing and into the forest.

* * *

It took a few minutes of adrenaline pumping through her veins to get her as far away from her sister as fast as possible, but when she began to slow down she realized something.

She actually did it. She honestly, _finally_ stood up for herself. And she didn't back down either!

Sammy grinned from ear to ear. This was what she had only _dreamed_ about, what she thought she'd never even hope to achieve. But now it happened, here on this weird island during this dangerous game, and she couldn't be happier.

Plus she had a… friend? That was so odd to think about. She had grown used to the idea that no one would ever want to be her friend, and then Beardo just went ahead and declared her as one. Did the others think the same? It would be a blessing if they did. They were all friendly enough, so maybe they did as well. _Ah, well, not Shawn. He might come around though!_

Feeling that she had ran far enough, Sammy stopped at a tree to catch her breath. She checked to make sure no one was camouflaged against its bark, and just to make sure she looked up into its leaves and the leaves of the trees nearby. Thankfully it looked like she was alone, so she sat down and let her weary legs rest.

_Okay, let's think. Sky and Beardo I know are out for our team, while Max, Scarlett, Rodney, and Amy are out for the other team. Assuming no one else is out, we're at three versus three. And honestly, that's better than I thought would have happened._

But now, she was out of ammunition, so that made her a sitting duck. It also made her realize that Chris never explained what to do should someone run out of balloons. Does that mean they had to hide until they got taken out, or until the game was over? What if all the balloons were used but not everyone on a team was out? Would the game end with the team with the most people left standing winning? What if the teams were tied? Would there be a tiebreaker? Or would they have to go make more balloons so they could properly complete the game? And what if-

Sammy shook her head. She was getting too distracted.

The best course of action would be to just find a place to hide. Trees were out, since Jasmine would be able to climb one with ease, she figured. Not to mention that Shawn could also be in one and wouldn't take too kindly to the company.

Maybe she could hide out near the starting point? That could throw some of them off, probably. Unless _they_ were thinking that she was thinking that. But whatever, she didn't have anywhere else in mind. Now it was just a matter of finding her way back…

It didn't take her nearly as long as she thought it would, considering she found a screaming Topher covered in glue. "It's in my hair! _It's in my hair!_ Someone get me shampoo and conditioner! Or ice cubes! Or heck, I'd even settle for peanut butter if I have to!"

He led her right to the starting area, where the people who were out were sitting and watching everything happening on a big screen TV attached to a tree. Based on who was there, she wasn't wrong in her guess. The game was currently three to two, with her team in the lead. _This is good… I just hope I can stay from getting out._

Rather than going up to ask for more balloons - mostly on account of Amy being there, but also because it would likely be a waste of time - Sammy elected to leap into a thick bush to hide. It was uncomfortable to say the least, with a branch trying to worm its way beneath her shoulder blade, but she felt like it concealed her well enough.

She stayed in the bush for roughly 20 more minutes, all the while not seeing or hearing anyone from either team, and she was sure the spot on her back was going to be sore for the next few weeks. It allowed her a moment to catch her breath, however, and to think things over.

 _What's different now?_ was the first thought. She stood up to her demons and got away with it, for the most part. Did that change their relationship at all? Was Amy finally going to respect her? _Uhh, no. Definitely not_. Still though, it was a good first step. She just needed to keep at it.

But Amy's taunting kept ringing in her mind, and now that she had some time to let it all sink in, she couldn't help but think that maybe a bit of what she said was true. Sammy was certain she was the opposite of selfish, that it was her sister who was projecting her own selfishness onto her, but the more she allowed her mind to wander the more it felt like Amy was right. And it didn't matter how much she wanted to deny it, her brain was forcing her to think differently.

Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Sammy groaned in frustration. It was becoming apparent that just because she was able to stand up for herself for once, it didn't mean that all of her issues were magically healed. This was going to take time and work to fix, and that time shouldn't be during a high-stress challenge.

_Maybe I should go to a therapist when I'm done here._

She figured no one was going to come her way anytime soon if they hadn't already, so maybe it'd be fine if she left. Besides, the spot on her back was really starting to hurt. She was attempting to free herself of her hiding place when she was instantly proven wrong.

The light padding of careful footsteps became louder and closer, and seemed to stop not too far from her. Sammy carefully peeked out from the bush and spied a pair of pink loafers and long, thin legs walking beyond the trees.

"El-" she started, and got a mouthful of bush leaves for her trouble.

She sputtered and tried to get up, and the loud rustling caused Ella to stop. "Who... who's there? I-I'm not afraid to use th-this."

From her stuttering, she sounded absolutely terrified. Sammy finally managed to free herself and stumbled out of the bush inelegantly. "Ella, wait, it's me! Don't shoot!"

Ella held a single balloon, and was raising it aloft in a shaky hand. She sighed in relief and lowered it quickly. "Oh thank goodness. I thought you were someone else."

"No, just me." _No one important_ , her mind tried to supply, but she quickly tried to snuff that part out. "Are you okay? You seem nervous."

"Oh, ahh…" She shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, but in the end she smiled. "Y-Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, though."

Sammy raised a brow. That smile seemed different than the ones she tended to wear. Normally her smiles would go right up to her eyes, but now… "You sure? You can say what's on your mind, you know. I'm a good listener, and I won't judge."

"Well, I…" She seemed tempted, but shook her head. "No, perhaps not. Not now, at least. I believe we have more… pressing matters at hand."

She was reminded of what happened when she and Sky were having a heart-to-heart, and immediately changed her tune. "Actually you're right. Let's focus on winning first! Then we can talk later, if you want."

Ella huffed out a sigh. "We shall see," she said, and started walking in the direction she was originally going.

Something was seriously wrong. Sammy knew Ella to be peppy and positive, to an almost impossible degree, so seeing her so… not herself was worrying. She'd have to talk to her about it later.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna go this way," Sammy told her, pointing off further into the forest. "It might be better if we split-"

There was a soft snap of a branch, and years of keeping an ear out for Amy to avoid her told her to stop talking and listen. She couldn't pinpoint exactly where the sound came from, so she started looking _everywhere_ to make up for it.

Ella turned back around. "What's wro-" she started, but Sammy raised a finger to shush her, which she wisely did.

Something caught her eye then, and she looked up and into the eyes of Jasmine, watching them from a tree branch. She had three balloons in one hand, a vine in the other, and a smirk on her face.

Then she leapt.

Sammy made a split second decision. "Ella, get down!" she shouted, and dove at her teammate. Ella shrieked and threw her hands up, her balloon rocketing into the air, and Sammy tackled her to the ground just in time to dodge Jasmine's attack.

They landed in a heap, and Sammy swivelled her head back to take stock of Jasmine. The Australian had landed on an adjacent tree branch, and in her hand was now one solitary balloon. She tutted and snapped a finger. "Drat, thought I'd at least get both of you with that."

"Both of-" Sammy glanced down at her legs, and bit back a curse when she saw a yellow-ish splotch of something covering the heel of her boot. "Aw, c'mon, seriously?"

"Oh well," Jasmine said, and jumped from the branch to the ground with a thundering thud. She tossed and caught the one remaining balloon. "I was hoping to use this one on Shawn, but beggars can't be choosers."

Sammy gasped and looked to Ella, who was still under her and seemed more dazed than anything. "You need to run!" She scrambled off of her teammate and pulled her up. "Find a place to hide! Go, quickly!"

"Uh, r-right, okay!" She spared a moment's glance at the spot her last balloon popped, and ran back into the forest.

"You know I'm gonna catch up to her easily, right?" Jasmine asked, amusement all along her face. "Something tells me that sheila isn't exactly a marathon runner."

"I know, but what else could she have done?" Sammy asked. "I don't think standing by and letting you tag her out would help us."

Jasmine shrugged. "Eh, probably not. Sorry 'bout the boot by the way. I dunno how easily mustard'll come off."

Sammy glanced at the spot again and figured it was likely to stain. "Honestly, it's fine. Running in heels is like, the _worst_." _Besides, I think I'm starting to not care about cheerleading much anymore._

"That's the spirit," Jasmine said with a smirk. "Anywho, I'd better skedaddle. You've done enough stalling me for now." And she took off, striding confidently with each step she took.

Sammy sighed as she watched her off. She did what she could, but she really wasn't sure how much good it did. The only thing she could do is hope Ella managed to survive long enough.

She headed over to where the other campers were, and joined up with Sky and Beardo. Sky was at least a little less red, though her clothes were stained and were in need of some thorough washing. "Nice work out there," she was saying to Sammy when she approached. "We saw your… conversation with your sister. You must be so proud of yourself!"

"Oh! Um, thanks, I am!" Sammy eyed the giant flatscreen on the tree, which was showing a now-clean Shawn hiding in a bush near a cliff. "Not gonna lie though, that's, uh, kinda embarrassing that everyone saw that…"

"Don't think of it like that," Sky assured her. "What matters is that you actually _did_ it! No one can say you're a pushover anymore."

She nodded. "You're right. Thank you, Sky." She turned her attention to Beardo. "And thank _you_ , Beardo, for holding her back when she tried to come at me."

"Wasn't about to let you possibly get eliminated like that," he said with a shrug. "Besides, you deserved the help." Sammy giggled childishly, still unused to hearing that.

"Also, good work taking out two people," Sky said, motioning her head to the group of annoyed Salmons not too far from them. "That's really helped even the odds for us."

"I just hope we can actually win," Beardo said, idly picking out a stray worm out of his oversized afro. Sammy didn't bother to hide a shudder. "Shawn feels like a wildcard, so I'm not worried about him. But Ella…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Sky said, tapping her foot nervously. "I don't know how she's going to outrun Jasmine, or even hide from her."

"And with no balloons left…" Sammy said quietly. In hindsight, maybe tackling her to the ground and ruining her chance of eliminating anyone else had been a bad call.

Beardo seemed to notice this. "Hey, don't beat yourself up over it," he said as he placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "We're not out yet. We still got a fighting chance. Who knows, maybe Ella's gonna bust out a hidden secret technique none of us know about."

 _I sincerely doubt that._ Ella seemed to be the kind of person to show her cards to anyone willing to look. If she was hiding the fact that she was a karate master or something, she was doing an incredible job of it.

Sammy felt eyes on her, and glanced over at the group of other team. Amy's gaze darted away when she looked at her, but nothing more came from it. Which was incredibly weird, because if Amy was anything, it was stubborn and always craved the last word. She was pretty sure her sister would get back at her at some point, perhaps sooner rather than later, but now was not that time.

"Look!" Sky suddenly cried, and everyone's attention turned to the TV. One of the cameras had caught Ella making a break for it through the forest, and was managing to keep pace with her.

"C'mon girl, you got this," Beardo was muttering quietly. Sky said nothing, though she had both of her fingers crossed.

She was clearly running out of steam, as her cheeks were rosier than normal and sweat was dripping down her forehead. She stumbled a few times, but pushed herself to keep going. She shoved aside a long branch and ran past, letting it go and smacking Jasmine in the face with it as she suddenly appeared from behind.

Ella gasped and turned to face her. "Ah! Oh my goodness! I-I'm so sorry!" She hesitated, but chose to not stay for long and kept going without looking back again.

The shot lingered on Jasmine as she wiped the blood from a cut the branch gave her. "Oof. _That_ smarts…" she said, though she was clearly enjoying the hunt.

"That'll slow her down, but not for long," Sky said. Her eyes were glued to the screen, taking in as much detail as she could.

"I just hope she doesn't get hurt," Sammy remarked.

"Which one?" Beardo asked her.

She thought for a second. "Both, I guess."

Ella was shown again, running at full speed once more. Sammy's heart went out to her when she saw tears in her eyes - she must have really not wanted to hurt Jasmine, but what was done was done.

All of those thoughts halted, however, the moment Sugar jumped up from a bush Ella was passing by with a balloon raised over her head.

"I gotcha, you pixie wannabe!" Sugar hollered, and seemed to revel in Ella's screaming. "This is fer bein' a pain in the behind since you got here!"

But then, as Sugar threw it straight down at her, Ella actually did the impossible and _dodged it_. Ella shrieked and ducked, her hands covering her head as the balloon hurtled downward and past her like a cannonball. It splattered not too far away from her, but the direction caused the liquid inside of it - for once, what looked like actual water - to spray in the opposite direction and away from them.

"What in the-" Beardo shouted as similar bursts of surprise erupted from the others. "I was joking about having a secret technique!"

"When did she- _How_ did she-" Sky was left speechless. "That was at point blank range! I don't even think _my_ reflexes are that good!"

"OMG," Sammy whispered after the initial shock wore off. "That was… _crazy_."

As soon as the pop sounded, Ella looked back at it, and then at herself to make sure she wasn't sprayed. The sigh of relief and wipe of her forehead showed that no, she hadn't been hit.

"Aw, horse radishes," Sugar groaned, crossing her arms and glaring. "That was my last one!"

Ella hastily stood and took a few moments to stare at Sugar, as if she were confirming if she were telling the truth. The tears had begun to fall and were staining her cheeks, but despite that she backed up and took off again without another word.

Not five seconds later, Jasmine entered the shot and, noticing the patch of wet grass underfoot, carefully bounded over it. "What happened?" she asked Sugar, who was still scowling after their opponent. "Where'd Ella go?"

"Little miss _princess_ dodged my shot," Sugar said with a sneer. "And I'd been savin' that balloon for her, too!"

Jasmine clicked her tongue and held out her own weapon. "Guess that means we just got one left. We need to make sure this counts, otherwise-"

"Score!" Without warning, Sugar snatched the balloon from her teammate's hand. "I'm so gettin' here this time!"

" _Whoa,_ whoa whoa whoa," Jasmine quickly said, and took it back. Sugar directed her glare towards her instead. "In case it wasn't obvious, this is _my_ balloon, so I'm the one who's gonna be using it."

Sugar scoffed and grabbed for it again. "Pfft, you don't need it! _I_ need it more than you do. I gotta take that _Ella_ down before she thinks she can get the best'a me."

"Did… Sugar always dislike Ella so much?" Sammy found herself asking. Sky and Beardo merely shrugged.

"What good'll that do if you miss again?" Jasmine asked testily, refusing to relinquish her hold. "You had your chance and you blew it. Now it's _my_ turn, with _my_ balloon."

"Puh- _lease_ , that was just a fluke. No way I'm missing again!"

"You're right, you won't miss, because you won't get the chance!"

They continued to shout at each other and engaged in a tug-of-war with the balloon as the rope. Sammy looked at Sky, who looked back at her just as wide-eyed as she. "Is this actually happening right now?"

"I'm… trying not to get my hopes up," said Sky.

The two of them went on, unable to hear the pleas and demands from their teammates telling them to stop and get back in the game. And when it looked like Sugar was about to rip it out of Jasmine's hands…

The balloon _itself_ ripped, and coated the two of them in mud.

Dead silence echoed throughout the island, as everyone was processing what just happened. After a few moments, Jasmine dropped to her knees and yelled to the heavens. " _NOOO!_ " Flocks of birds took off from the trees all the way where Sammy and the others were sitting.

Chris lifted up one of his cucumbers - _Why does he even have a facial mask on anyway?_ \- and grinned at the screen. "Oof, _there's_ a doozy. Wasn't expecting it to end this way."

"Wait, that _counts_?" Scarlett asked incredulously.

"You bet your bun it does!" He reapplied the vegetable to his eyelid, ignoring the protests of the Salmons, and took a microphone that an intern presented to him without looking. "And that's game! The Waneyihtam Maskwak win their first challenge!"

Sammy's eyes were locked on the screen, even as Sky and Beardo cheered in her ears. She couldn't believe just the sheer _dumb luck_ it took to have the last two members of the other team get _themselves_ out. _What were the chances of_ that _happening?_

Finally she looked away and towards Sky, who was pumping both fists in the air in delight. "Yes! We finally won! _Woo-hoo!_ "

"And we get an actual meal tonight to boot!" Beardo added. He was clearly thinking about what the feast of the night would be.

"If it's anything like the last two meals, I think I'm gonna stick with the fruit," Sky said to him.

"No problem, more for me then!"

It was still hard for Sammy to believe what happened, but the smile on her face swelled into a grin soon enough. "This isn't a trick, right?" she found herself asking. "I'm not suddenly going to wake up, am I?"

"Nope, it's real alright!" Chris exclaimed, walking up to them awkwardly. "Once the others get back we'll dole out your rewards and send you back to your little shack. Congrats on not having to send someone else home tonight, by the way!"

The compliment was backhanded, but Sammy didn't care. Though they were down two players, they were finally able to put themselves on the board. She allowed herself to cheer with Sky, and though she was tempted to, she refused to look over to see Amy's reaction. She wanted this moment to be a good memory, not one bogged down by her sister.

Jasmine and Sugar arrived first, both fuming and caked in mud, and went to their team. Sammy sent a look of apology to Jasmine, and though she saw it she only shrugged. _Losing's tough on everyone, isn't it?_

Shawn came back first for their team, accepting a high-five from Beardo, and shortly after Ella arrived. She was still breathing heavily and looking just a tiny bit skittish, as if she wasn't sure if the game had actually finished. Sky ran up to her and grabbed a hold of her hands. "Ella, that was _amazing_! How'd you move so quickly when Sugar shot at you? I had no idea you had that sort of skill!"

"Oh," she said quietly. "That's, um… a secret." She topped it off with a nervous laugh.

"Well whatever it was, it helped us win!" Beardo exclaimed, giving Ella a hefty slap on the back and nearly toppling her over.

Chris called everyone over and presented the winning team - _her_ team - with a handful of bags of takeout. "Mary's Lamburgers? I haven't had one of these in so long," Sammy mused, accepting her prize from the host. She took a deep sniff of the bag's contents and sighed happily. " _Gosh_ , I never thought I'd be so happy to smell oven grease in my life."

"Seems weird that our prize for winning is less healthy than what you guys've been scavenging," Beardo said, picking through his bag. "But hey, I'm not complaining."

"Here," Sky said, holding her own bag to Beardo. "You guys can divy up my share."

"Alright!" he said, eagerly snatching it.

Sammy spotted the other team as they quietly left the field, their heads down and no one exactly close to each other. She saw Amy walking near the very back, but chose not to give her any more of her attention. Instead she noticed that Jasmine was at the very front, stomping off into the woods and a large scowl on her face.

 _Oh, that's true… Jasmine technically helped cause them to lose. I hope she doesn't get voted off._ Even though they were on opposite teams, Sammy was still worried. Jasmine was kind and helpful - she didn't deserve to get blasted away because of a mishap like that. Hopefully her team was able to see that and chose to spare her.

That was only part of her, though - the other part was simply happy that she didn't have to stress out too much tonight. With a smile on her face and a bag full of calories in her hand, she and her team returned to their shack to have a mid-morning feast.


	4. The Warm Lake Episode

Sammy took the first bite out of her hamburger and savoured every bit of it. It had been so _long_ since she had a real meal, and she vowed to do her best to keep winning so that she could have more.

The team of five had settled around their campfire and were enjoying their meals in happy silence. Sky was munching on some leftover fruit from breakfast, and was content to stick with just that. Ella claimed that she had never had fast food before, which Sammy took as being 100% true given it was _Ella_ saying it, and her reaction to trying it for the first time was a sight to behold. First contemplation after the initial bite, then hesitation followed by disgust once she actually tasted all of the grease, and then resignation when she grimaced and swallowed. After a moment of thought, she shrugged and took another bite.

"This is… not at all appetizing," she said, bringing a hand to her mouth as she spoke. "And yet for some reason I want more."

"Fast food kinda works that way," Sammy said with a laugh. "It's bad for you but _god_ is it good."

"I feel a little guilty, though," she said, looking at the burger intently. "This used to be alive, didn't it? Poor little lamb…"

"My advice, just enjoy it now while you can," Shawn said with a shrug. He popped the last of his burger into his mouth and began to work on the fries. "Because once you have to use the bathroom tomorrow, you will _definitely_ regret it."

Ella's brow rose in confusion. "Wait, what?"

" _Okay_ , that's enough of that," Sky quickly said, shoving Shawn off of his rock and onto the ground with a grunt. "How about that win today, huh? Now that we've had enough time to digest it-"

" _Pffft,_ hahaha!"

"Wh- Oh my _god_ , Sammy, that was unintentional, stop laughing!" She threw her apple core at her, causing Sammy to only laugh harder. "Ugh. _Anyway_ , how awesome is it that we finally managed to beat the other team for once?"

"Pretty awesome!" Beardo exclaimed. Sammy looked at him and her laughter immediately stopped - much to her repulsion, it turned out he was a particularly messy eater, with ketchup and mustard flowing freely down his beard. Wiping his fingers into his shirt, he continued. "I'm gonna be real, since we were at a disadvantage, I was pretty worried we were gonna keep losing. But I guess we lucked out today somehow."

Shawn placed himself back onto his rock and kept eating his fries. Also to Sammy's disgust, half of them had dropped to the ground when he fell, and he casually picked them up and put them back into his fry cup. "I don't think luck had anything to do with it. From what I'm able to tell, we've all got our own set of skills we can use, and we busted them out for the challenge. So nice going!"

"Yeah, that's pretty great," Sky agreed. "Hopefully I'll be able to show off my athletic capabilities soon. I've been itching to really race someone here."

Sammy, reminded of how she blew Sky's chances of playing today entirely, whimpered and made herself smaller.

Sky noticed it and reached a hand out to her. "Oh, no, it's okay though! We still won and that's what matters. I'll just try harder tomorrow is all!" Sammy nodded in response, though the negative feelings still lingered.

And those negative thoughts about herself caused ones relating to her sister to resurface as well. Sure, she stood up to Amy, but that was just one time. For some reason, before today, she had always assumed that being able to defend herself properly would be the start of something new. But now that it _actually_ happened… it almost felt like nothing had changed. Not yet at least.

She continued to munch on her hamburger in silence. Thankfully Chris supplied them with soda as well; they were sort of flat but still drinkable, and so Sammy took a big gulp of hers to wash the food down. The others were still happily chatting about the win, but unfortunately Sammy was too lost in her thoughts to really pay attention.

That was until Ella scooted alongside her with a concerned look. "Is everything okay? You seem… distant."

She gave Ella a soft smile and turned back to her food. "I'm alright. I just… I dunno. I thought things would be different now, but everything's still the same."

"With… your sister?"

"Yeah. You heard that I stood up to her right? During the challenge."

"I did, yes. That's honestly wonderful to hear!"

"Um, thanks. But it doesn't feel like I've accomplished anything. I still feel like… the same old me. Like what I did didn't actually happen. Or matter."

"Hmm." Ella took another bite of her own burger, shuddered in revulsion, and set it aside for the time being. "You can't force yourself to change and be a happier person for it. It has to come naturally over time. Actually, it's like we said back on the first day: change itself doesn't come easy. Now that I think about it, _you_ said that, didn't you?"

Sammy let out a breathy laugh. "You're right, I do remember saying that. Guess I gotta start listening to myself more often, right?"

"Yes. But…" She tilted her head as she thought. "Listen to the part of you that lifts you up, not the one that tears you down. Those bad thoughts will only make things worse, so focus on the ones that are trying to help you. Okay?"

She made it sound so easy, but… "Yeah, okay. I'll try my best to listen. It's… going to be tough, but I think I can manage."

"There's no pressure. I'm sure you'll be fine. Besides…" She looked at the other three, who were animatedly talking about, of all things, Shawn's cakeup camouflage. He was trying to tell them how important it was that he learned that particular survival skill, but Sky was laughing hard behind a hand and Beardo had opted to throw fries at Shawn, which he actually managed to catch out of the air and eat. "I'd like to believe we're all here to help you, if you need it. And I'm sure we know that you're here for us too. Right?"

"Oh, yeah, of course," Sammy said immediately. "That's what frie-" She stopped herself. She wasn't really knowing if anyone aside from Beardo even _considered_ her a friend, and she didn't want to make things weird if they didn't.

But Ella seemed to catch on, and her warm smile widened. "That's what friends are for, right?"

The grin Sammy gained ended up hurting her cheeks after a bit. "Yeah… Thank you, Ella." She hesitated for a second, but then wrapped Ella in a hug, careful not to stain her blouse with the burger. Ella graciously accepted and returned the hug, and Sammy felt more comfortable with these four people - her _friends_ \- than she had with anyone else in the longest of times.

The moment was only _slightly_ interrupted when Ella unexpectedly burped.

"Oh my goodness, excuse me!" She immediately pulled and turned away from Sammy, her face bright red. "That was an accident! I swear, I didn't know that was coming!"

In spite of Ella's embarrassment, Sammy found herself clutching her stomach in laughter. "N-No, it's- it's okay! You didn't do anything wrong!" _In fact you probably made it better._

Ella pouted and sent a glare at her unfinished burger. "Maybe I'll just settle with fruit for now."

Soon everyone finished their meals and were beginning to stand. "So now that we don't have to vote tonight…" Beardo was saying, licking his fingers of whatever was left on them. "What do we do now?"

"Now, I guess… we just do our own things?" Sky replied, unsure herself. "I mean, the challenge is over, and we're not required to go to the elimination ceremony, so what else can they make us do until tomorrow?"

"True enough. I wonder who they're gonna vote off tonight?"

"My guess is Sugar," Shawn answered him. "She was the main cause of their loss today. Plus, compared to Jasmine, she's been really slowing her team down. Remember yesterday when she kept the pig to herself instead of giving it to Scarlett? Something tells me that's not gonna win her any favors from them."

"Mm, I can see that happening," Sammy replied. _And I_ hope _that's what happens, so that Jasmine can stay here longer._

"Anyway, if there's nothing else going on, I'm going back to the dump," Shawn said, beginning to walk off. "I want to see what other crud I can salvage from it."

"Hey, mind if I come with?" Beardo asked, following after him.

Shawn shrugged. "Don't see why not. Just… if you turn undead, warn me so I can get away?"

Beardo snickered. "Yeah, sure man, no worries."

"Cool." And with that the guys left the camp, leaving the girls to themselves.

"So…" Ella asked. "What should _we_ do?"

"Hmm." Sky watched as the guys left the area, and once they were out of sight she turned back to the girls. "I don't know about you two… but I need a bath."

"Ooh, yeah, I need one too," Sammy said, covering her underarms with her hands. "After all the running I did these last two days, I'm starting to, um… not smell all that great."

"It's a shame there aren't any bathtubs or showers here," Ella said with a sigh.

"It is a shame, but even so we should try to clean ourselves up now that we have a chance. Plus, uh," Sky looked down to her still-stained shirt. "I don't know if outdated ketchup comes out easily but I should probably try to get this off."

"Where would we go though?" Sammy asked. "I don't think it'd be smart to wash ourselves in a lake, that'd make the water dirty."

"You're right. I was thinking a river leading out into the ocean. That's not _as_ bad."

"It does sound like the better option." Ella stood up and dusted off her skirt. "Although it is rather exciting. Aside from the challenges I haven't really been anywhere on this island."

"Well, no time like the present." Sky started off in the opposite direction the guys went in. "I know of a spot nearby we can go. C'mon."

"Is this the same river you get our drinking water from?" Sammy asked.

Sky paused. "Uh… yes. Let's go there, and then further downstream."

* * *

Now that she didn't have to stress about voting someone off and/or being voted off herself, Sammy was able to take in her surroundings much more easily. The grass and trees were all vibrant greens, and the sky was an incredibly bright blue. The sun wasn't exactly at the top of its rotation, but it was getting there, and Sammy found herself basking in its rays. She looked out across a nearby plain, with only a few trees and hills scattered about in the distance, and was in awe at how… picturesque it all looked.

A few more minutes of walking later, Sky stopped and stuck her arm out, prompting the others to do the same. "Wait, hang on. Do you hear that?"

Sammy strained her ears to listen for something, and heard running water. That should've been normal, but though it sounded distant it also sounded a bit too… _forceful_ to be a simple river.

"I think I hear it in that direction," Ella informed, pointing in a direction different from the one they were heading in.

"Really?" Sky asked with a tilt of her head. "That's farther inland."

"Well, that's where it's coming from."

"Oh, no, I'm not doubting you. Let's go check it out."

Another couple of minutes and the source of the sound was found: a large, beautiful waterfall, pouring water into a small lake and sending it away down a river. There were plenty of trees and foliage surrounding it, heavily blocking the view from the outside, and several rocks breaking through the water's surface were nicely spaced out to allow for sitting. There was even a rainbow above the water, adding to the beauty of it all.

"It's so gorgeous!" Ella exclaimed, dashing ahead of the others.

"Wow, I had no idea this was here!" Sky said in awe. "This is _perfect_!"

Sammy, quite obviously the skeptic of the three of them, was feeling a little wary. "Don't you guys think it's… _too_ perfect?"

"What do you mean?" Sky asked her.

"I… I'm not really sure," Sammy admitted, "But isn't this all just a bit convenient? Beautiful scenery, cover from Peeping Toms, a completely symmetrical rainbow…" She unconsciously rubbed an arm. "I, uh, I dunno. Maybe I'm just imagining things."

"I'm… not sure either," Sky said with a shrug, "but why look a gift horse in the mouth?"

"I know that, but it just seems-" She let out a sigh. Defending herself took a lot of effort, and she just wanted to get cleaned. "You know, you're right. Never mind. Let's just go bathe."

Sky gave her a half-smile. "It probably _won't_ be perfect, you know. I'm thinking the water will be freezing cold, coming from the waterfall."

"You guys, c'mon, the water is so _warm!_ " Ella suddenly called out, kneeling in front of the lake and dunking a hand in. "It's so comfortable! Ah, I bet I could spend hours in here!"

A dumbfounded look found its way to Sky's face. "Aaaand I'm instantly proven wrong. Huh. Weird."

Sammy grinned and walked on ahead. "Oh, c'mon Sky. You shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."

Sky blinked in surprise, but returned the grin. "Okay, okay, I get your point." She rushed into ahead and threw back her head. "Smartass!" That only caused Sammy's smile to widen.

As it turned out, the water _was_ warm. Not as warm as something like a hot tub or a nice bath, but definitely a temperature much more suited for relaxing. She had thought Ella had been exaggerating just a bit, but she wasn't expecting anything as nice as _this_. And for it to be natural was just the icing on the cake.

Sammy removed her clothes and slid down into the water, letting out a satisfied sigh. _Ella's right, I could probably spend all day in here._ It was almost as if her worries had washed away in an instant.

Before Sky got in, she decided to try and get the stains off of her shirt. Sammy supposed she ought to try and wash the mustard splatter from her boot, but at this point she really didn't care. _It's not like the boots are brand new anyway. What's a stain going to do?_

Sammy then noticed Ella gracefully enter the water as well. Having spent enough time in the girl's dressing room, Sammy made sure her eyes were pointing in the right direction and not anywhere that could cause an awkward situation. That said, something _did_ catch her eye.

"Um, Ella?"

The singer sat with her head just above the water, and after a sigh of contentment turned to her. "Yes?"

"You, uh… you still have a glove on."

The smile on her face faltered for a quick second. She raised her right arm to show that yes, it was still on, while her left glove was hanging on a nearby tree with the rest of her clothes. "So it is," she said neutrally, throwing Sammy off for a second. "And so it shall stay."

"...Oh." Sammy replied. "Um… Okay."

That… was the most serious Sammy had seen Ella so far. True, it was only the third day, and you wouldn't expect to know everything about someone after that short amount of time. But the change in her tone was so abrupt that Sammy had to take a moment and remember that this was still her bubbly new friend.

"Hey, um… Are you doing okay?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes, I'm doing fine," Ella said to her, the smile returning and the arm dipping back into the water and out of sight.

She was reminded of how… _withdrawn_ Ella had seemed near the end of the challenge today, but Sammy didn't want to push it any farther than she already had. _I wonder if her arm has anything to do about it… Well, if Ella wants to talk about it, she will. We've already established that I'm willing to listen, so if she needs to talk, she knows I'm there for her. ...I hope._

"Okay," Sammy said simply, and lowered herself farther into the water.

Sky returned not long after, having successfully washed most of the ketchup off of her shirt and tights, and actually dove into the water from the lakeside. Sammy was terrified at first since none of them knew how deep it went, but she emerged not too long later none the worse for wear.

She also had to keep her eyes in check even more for Sky because of the raw power of her _abs._ It was a good thing the warm water had already caused her to flush red. _How much does she work out to get that toned?_

They enjoyed the water's warmth and chatted, and after a while they all remembered why they came in the first place and began scrubbing themselves down. Without any washcloths or loofahs or anything it was a bit of a pain, and it was especially bad when they had nothing to wash their hair or freshen themselves up with, but soaking in the water and using their hands to wash was certainly better than nothing.

Soon the sun was past the point of noon, and the trio exited the water out of fear of getting completely shrivelled up. With no good way to dry off, they basked in the sun for another little while, until they finally decided to head back. Sammy declared that she wanted to use the confessional before doing so, and once dressed she separated from the other girls. Since everything was so scattered across the island, it wasn't until a wandering intern walked by and showed her the way that she managed to locate the outhouse.

Unfortunately for her, the door was closed, which was the signal that it was in use. One of the new big rules the contestants were told before coming on the show was to not attempt to listen in on the people currently using the confessional. Back in season four, one poor girl got the boot because someone eavesdropped on her and had manipulated everyone on the team to vote for her to avoid his own elimination. Chris apparently enjoyed it, but the higher ups were calling for the rule to be more strictly regulated after that.

And so Sammy sat down against a tree far enough away and waited. She spent a few moments looking around again and decided that, if the outhouse had been removed, the scenery would've been a marvel to look at. Trees towering above her, their leaves dancing in the wind, light peaking through them every so often…

Her frown set deeper. _Too perfect. Too picturesque._

A few more minutes of waiting, and the door opened. Sammy stood and started to make her way over, but stopped dead in her tracks when Amy exited.

Amy stopped as well when her eyes laid on her sister, and she stood stock still with one hand on the outhouse door. The majority of the algae or seaweed or whatever it was had been removed, but she and failed to get all of it, with her uniform full of green splotches. _Which makes sense, obviously, because that's something_ I _would have done for her. She doesn't know the first thing about cleaning._

They said nothing, only stared at each other in surprise, and it almost felt like they were both waiting for the other to make the first move.

The shocking thing was that Sammy felt the old fear creep into her, slowly at first, but when she noticed it it spread faster.

 _No… No, no,_ no _! I should be able to stand up for myself now! Why am I still afraid?!_

She felt rooted on the spot, unable to move or speak of anything, but she tried her hardest to not let that old fear show on her face. That would be suicide in front of Amy. The only thing she could do was wait for her sister to do or say something first.

To her immense relief, though, the only thing Amy did was scowl, slam the outhouse door in frustration, and stalk off in the opposite direction.

Sammy spent another few moments there, waiting to see if her sister was about to come back and attack her, but when it was obvious she wasn't, she hastily made for the confessional and shut herself in.

It was just as disgusting and smelly as ever, but it was a welcome change than being out in the open with Amy. Sammy sat down, gathered her thoughts, and flicked on the camera.

"So, ah, we won today," she said, sounding a mix of happy and nervous. "It was crazy. Jasmine and Sugar tore their last balloon and got themselves out, which let _us_ win. That was honestly the last way I was expecting to win. I hope Jasmine doesn't get voted off because of it, though, she doesn't deserve that… Shawn said Sugar is likely to go, and the reason he gave makes sense, but I still can't help but be nervous…

"But, um, aside from that, I also kinda sorta… stood up to Amy for once." She had assumed saying it out loud would have done something to make her feel more confident, but it didn't have that effect. In fact, the fear was still around even though Amy was long gone. "It felt great, being able to call her out on her BS for once, but… I don't know what it did. It doesn't feel like it did anything. And when I saw her just before coming in here, it almost felt like I was back to before, when I couldn't say a word to her…"

She let out a large sigh before continuing. "Although… Ella reminded me that it takes a while for stuff like this to set in. That getting better takes time. I guess it's sort of like a cut or a broken bone - you can't expect it to heal overnight. And if I want to be more confident, and get… closer to being better, I guess, then I just have to keep at it."

She then giggled into her hand, remembering what happened during the challenge. "It _was_ pretty good to finally get it off my chest, though. Especially when she got hit and was covered in seaweed and stuff. Hmm, I wonder how long it took to get it out of her hair… It must've been a pain. But, she definitely deserved it.

"There's a part of me that's hoping they get rid of Amy for some reason, but I doubt they will tonight. Sugar and, well, Jasmine I guess, caused the team to lose, so they're the prime targets. Amy's probably safe for tonight, but I really hope she leaves soon… Not only to get her off my back, but to take her down a peg. For her, winning is everything."

Her eyes widened a fraction, and she suddenly burst out laughing. "B-But… I guess for us together… _twinning_ isn't _._ " She laughed hard at her own joke said to no one but herself, and she even wiped a tear from her eye. "Hahahaa, I should write that one down."


	5. A Shocking Conclusion

Sammy carefully picked the blueberries from the bush and placed them in her bag. Lifting it up and testing its weight, she sighed in frustration at how little she'd manage to scrape together given how long she'd already been out foraging. She tried working faster, but her clumsy hands kept accidentally squishing the berries and only gave her blue, sticky palms. She let out an angry whine and shook off what she could, and tried looking around for anything easier to scrounge up.

"Having trouble?" Shawn asked, suddenly popping out of the bush Sammy was examining.

" _Jesus Christ!_ " She nearly fell over in surprise, and redirected her ire at him. "Shawn! What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?"

"Ah, sorry! Force of habit, like I said! But just so you know, zombies won't give you a warning when they're coming at you full speed."

Sammy frowned further. _How fast is a zombie's full speed, anyway? Well, whatever._ "I'll… remember that, thanks. I guess."

Shawn exited the bush and readjusted his own bag. It was clear that it was already near full, and that made Sammy feel even more self-conscious. "That said, you _are_ having trouble, right?" he asked her.

"I mean, yeah. I _am_ still new at this. And I haven't noticed it before, but I don't think I have very good coordination with my hands." She glared at them accusingly. "I just crush everything I pick if I'm not careful."

Shawn rubbed the stubble under his lip, and then snapped a finger. "Hey, I have an idea."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Uh, let's see." He reached into the bush he came out of and cracked off two branches, giving one to Sammy. "Here. Now step aside and follow my lead."

"Uh…" She took the branch hesitantly. "Okay…"

She moved aside a bit, and after putting his bag underneath it, Shawn zeroed in on the bush that was giving Sammy trouble. With almost inhuman speed, he swung the stick around in precise movements, and managed to knock a decent amount of berries off. They all perfectly fell into his open bag, which he quickly did up and slung across his shoulders once more. "And that's how you hunt berries! Now you give it a shot."

It didn't seem to occur to him that Sammy had _no_ capable way of doing that. "Uh… Can we try doing something that's a bit more… traditional?"

He raised a brow. "I don't see how that wasn't."

"What? You don't-" She stopped talking with a sigh and approached the bush. "Never mind. Let me give it a shot."

"Is that Sammy I hear?"

Her head instantly perked up and swivelled around. "Jasmine?!"

The girl in question walked into view from behind some trees, and offered both her and Shawn a wide grin. "I figured that was you. G'morning, you two."

"Jasmine! It _is_ you!" Sammy ran up to her and enveloped her in a hug. The taller girl was startled at first, but then returned right after. Normally Sammy wouldn't have even thought about initiating a hug with anyone, but after the last few days she had definitely been feeling a bit more daring than normal. "You survived the night!"

"'Course I did!" She let out a laugh. "It wasn't even close. No one was pleased with how Sugar'd been performing so far. It was almost a unanimous decision, aside from herself of course."

"Oh thank goodness," Sammy said as she sighed in relief. "I was worried they were going to vote you out."

"Nah, there was no need to worry. Everything turned out fi-" Her eyes wandered past Sammy, and she stopped herself from talking. "Uh, Shawn was here just a second ago, right?"

"Huh?" Sammy turned back to find nothing but empty forest behind her. "Y… Yeah, he was. Weird. He's slippery sometimes."

"Yeah, but that's what's cool about him."

Sammy grinned warmly and rolled her eyes. _Yyyep. She's into him alright._

Jasmine then cleared her throat. "Listen, there's another reason I wanted to find you."

"Oh." Sammy didn't even know she was looking for her in the first place. "What is it?"

For the first time since Sammy had met her, Jasmine seemed to look rather uncomfortable. "So, I may have gotten into a bit of a spat with your sister yesterday afternoon, right? And I _may_ have mentioned that you go foraging for food in the morning."

_Oh no._

"And whatever it was you said to her yesterday must've gotten to her, because-"

"She demanded to come foraging too?" Sammy finished for her.

The interruption surprised her friend somewhat. "Huh, you really know her well. Yeah, she _did_ force me to bring her here."

"Yeah, well, you get to know a person after suffering her for most of your life." She bit her tongue and forced the edge out of her voice. "Why'd you agree to it though? You could've just said no."

"I mean, I could've, but she was threatening to play the wounded gazelle and have the others vote for me by claiming I hit her or something. I couldn't risk that, 'specially since I didn't really help matters in the challenge yesterday. I'm really sorry."

She _did_ seem remorseful about it, and that really _did_ seem like something Amy would do, so Sammy decided to forgive her immediately. "It's okay. Is she… nearby? I'm probably going to try and avoid her if I can help it."

"I split up with her about 20 minutes ago. No clue where she went." Jasmine pointed in the direction she said she had last seen her. "If you spot her and she tries to start something, let her have it. But otherwise, I'd say keep your distance. I don't want you two getting into a fight this early, for both your team's sake and mine."

Sammy took a second to compose herself. "I'll try. There… may be a chance that yesterday was a fluke. Hopefully it wasn't, but if I see her, I'll uh…" She snorted and smiled again. "I'll _try_ to go easy on her."

"Hah! That's the spirit." She punched her in the arm perhaps a bit _too_ strongly, and Sammy let out a grunt. "Actually, how about the two of us forage together for a change? I could help you stock up if you want."

"Mmm… Well," Sammy turned her head back to the spot behind her, "seeing as how my berry hunting partner _bailed_ on me… Sure! I'd love to." In actuality, Sammy was ready to say yes before Jasmine even finished her sentence.

"Awesome! Let's get to it." She started off in the opposite direction, and Sammy followed.

"So, do you like, spell 'awesome' similar to Australia? Cuz it's like… _awe_ some, _Au_ stralia?"

"Oh, now _that's_ just being rude, you cheeky little somethin'-or-other."

* * *

Luckily for Sammy, neither of them ran into Amy during the foraging. Once both her's and Jasmine's bags were filled, Sammy left and headed back to the shack before her luck ran out. Chances were they were definitely going to bump into each other at some point, and meeting her outside of a challenge could lead to just about anything happening. Sammy hoped she'd be able to stick up for herself again when the time came.

She made it back to camp and pushed aside the 'door' (an extra blanket Shawn and Beardo managed to dig up yesterday afternoon). "I brought breakfast!" she declared. Sky, Ella and Beardo looked up at her eagerly, said their thanks and accepted their bags. Sammy accepted the gratitude with a grin and was reminded at how good it felt to be appreciated.

They chatted and munched away at their food, talking about different things. With the win from yesterday, the tension had seemed to wither away. There was a small moment where Sky mentioned to keep their focus up today, but aside from that the conversations were relatively stress-free.

"So, wait, you had no beef with her at all?" Sammy asked between bites.

"Absolutely not!" Ella declared. "No 'beef' whatsoever! I hadn't even spoken to her yet. The only time was perhaps when she took the glitter from me in the first challenge, but that was it!"

"Then why did she look like she was ready to mount your head on a wall?" Beardo asked.

"I certainly have no clue. She… She wasn't actually acting like that, was she?"

"No, I'm afraid they're right," Sky told her. "Sugar said something about taking you down before you could get the best of her, whatever that meant."

"But that makes no sense! Why would she speak like that when I hadn't even had a proper conversation with her?"

"Maybe she was jealous?" Beardo offered.

"Jealous?" Ella asked. "Of _me_?"

"Oh yeah," Sky said in realization. "I think I overheard her the other day, saying something about being a pageant queen or something? She may have been seeing you as competition, and was unfairly holding it against you."

"Really?" That didn't seem to sit well with Ella. "Hmm. I'd rather wish she was still here so that I could clear the air with her. But I suppose I must leave it at that."

Sammy laid a hand on her shoulder. "Try not to worry about it too much. Maybe you can talk to her when this is all over?"

"I think I'd like that," Ella replied with a warm smile. "Oh um, not to change the topic, but where is Shawn, by the way? I would've expected him to at least be _around_."

"I'm actually not sure," Sammy answered. "He was helping me pick berries when Jasmine showed up. Then he just vanished."

Sky stopped mid-bite and gave her a look. "Wait, hold up. You met up with someone from the other team?"

Sammy immediately felt her stomach drop. _Oh, crap. Of course Sky would zero in on that part._ "Y-Yeah, but Jasmine's a good person. She helped me find the nails during our first challenge, a-and she's been super supportive since we got here." Her nerves were starting to get worked up. Defending herself was _hard_. "I don't think she'd try anything funny. Besides," Sammy took a quick look out of the shack, "I think she's got a thing for Shawn."

Ella gasped in delight, while Sky and Beardo seemed surprised. "For _Shawn_?" Beardo asked. "That's… not what I expected."

 _Maybe that wasn't the best idea._ "Don't tell them I said that! Please?"

Sky still seemed rather unconvinced though. "Be that as it may, I'm still not sure you should trust the enemy. We don't know if she's just setting you up or something, you know?"

"Well, I mean, I know what you're saying, but-"

"I trust her," Ella said. Sammy, still very used to people interrupting her, clamped her mouth shut.

"You trust Jasmine?" Sky asked with a quirked brow.

"Huh? Oh, well, not necessarily _her_ , but I trust Sammy to know who to trust. And from what I've seen, Jasmine doesn't seem like a bad person. A little intimidating, perhaps, but she doesn't seem like she'd try and lead anyone astray."

"I agree. Besides," Beardo started, though he then leaned over to Sky and whispered in her ear. Sammy couldn't make out what he was saying, but whatever it was seemed to do the trick.

"I suppose you're right," she said to Beardo. To Sammy, she continued, "Just try to make sure she isn't pulling you along in anything. We don't need her and the Salmons trying to sabotage us or anything."

"She hasn't tried anything like that," Sammy said. She was positive that Jasmine was genuine, and had nothing but good thoughts about her, unlike thoughts about herself. "And just in case she does, I should be able to pick up on it. I've had… plenty of experience doing just that." _No experience making it_ stop _, but I should be able to at least try._

It took a moment, but Sky ultimately nodded. "Okay. I'll hold you to that."

Sammy beamed and wrapped Sky in a hug. It caught her off guard, but was quickly reciprocated. Two in one morning was a new record for her, something she wasn't soon going to forget.

It was at that exact moment that the speakers around the island screeched to life, forcing the Bears to clamp their hands over their ears.

"Challenge time, my little chick-a-dees!" Chris announced. "Get your keisters to the designated area, all lickity-pronto-like!"

"It's time," Sky said. She finished off her apple and tossed the core through the door. "Let's hope we make it through today unscathed."

"And also that Shawn shows up on his own," Ella added. "Though I don't see why he wouldn't."

"When it comes to the challenges he's pretty reliable," Sammy said. "And breakfast too. Uh, not counting today."

"And finding stuff for us to use." Beardo added. "Extra blankets, pillows, a lot of them in good condition…"

"It fits his whole 'zombie apocalypse' thing, doesn't it?" Sammy asked with a giggle.

"Sometimes I think he believes it a bit too much," Sky said. "Though I'm not denying he's got skills. I admit, he could give me a run for my money if we were racing under fair conditions."

"A… _run_ for your money?"

"Wh- oh my _God_ , Sammy."

* * *

The designated area ended up being two logs and a flat screen TV located in the middle of an open plain, similar to where they had gathered at the end of the first day. Chris and Chef were already there, of course, as were the Salmons. Amy was choosing to stare right at Sammy, and when their eyes met it turned into an angry glare. Gathering her willpower, Sammy did her best to send a glare right back, and something in it must've caught her sister off guard as she turned away in a huff and proceeded to ignore her.

Ella took the seat on the far end of their log towards the TV, followed by Sammy herself, then Sky, and then Beardo. Not long after that Shawn showed up, and he took his seat next to Beardo. Sammy had a mind to ask him where he vanished to, but with everyone present and accounted for, the challenge began immediately.

It turned out to be a variation of Truth or Dare, in this case being called Truth or _Scare_. The TV would spin a roulette of each contestant's faces, followed by another roulette with two options: either you get a halo and have to answer an embarrassing, revealing truth about yourself, or you get a flame and have to take part in a dangerous and/or disgusting dare, all in the name of earning your team points.

When the flatscreen started the roulette of faces and ended up on _hers_ first, Sammy huffed in irritation. The second roulette stopped on a halo, and she instinctively gulped, though as Chris was still explaining the game she knew this was just an example. "How will you know if we're not lying?" she found herself asking.

"I'm glad you asked!" Chris said in delight, and then proceeded to introduce Clucky, the resident polygraph chicken who ran her own law firm. "She'll be able to tell if you're lying through your teeth or not. And if you are, _or_ if you fail a Scare should you be issued one, you'll be in for quite a shock!"

"Why doesn't that leave me with much hope?" Ella asked. It was at that point that Sammy suddenly felt something slip around her neck, and her hand reached up to feel a sort of metal collar that Chef Hatchet seemed to be putting on everyone. "Also, um, what is the purpose of these collars?" she asked as Chef put one on her, and proceeded to the other team to do the same.

"Don't worry about it!" Chris said, making Sammy worry even more. "They're just state-of-the-art shock collars designed for maximum voltage! Plus, they're trendy!"

" _Shock_ collars?!" Sky cried out.

"Uh, I don't know what part of the world you're from," Amy said, glaring as Chef put one on her, "but here, they are _not_ trendy."

Chris shrugged. "Fair enough. They are, however, entertaining!" When the last collar was on, he broke out two remotes, each one the colour of the teams, and pressed the sole button on them both.

That was how Sammy learned what having several volts of electricity course through one's body felt like. Almost like she started vibrating on the spot, but painfully. When Chris let go of the button, she swore she was able to smell burning from somewhere.

"Y-You tested these, right?!" Jasmine asked. She and her team looked completely fried, if their frizzy hair and battered expressions meant anything. Sammy glanced around to see that her team was in a similar position.

"Yep! Just did!" Chris announced gleefully. "And you're all still alive, so congrats."

Of the four challenges they'd had so far, Sammy figured this was the one she was going to like the least.

"For each lie you tell, or each Scare you fail, your whole team will get a shock and will probably like you a lot less. Sounds exciting right?!" When no one answered positively, he shrugged it off and turned to face Sammy. "Let's start right where we are. We have a _Truth_ coming from _Samey_."

 _Yep, it's official. I hate this challenge._ Normally it was Amy who revealed her secrets for her - now she had to do it on her own, and she was _not_ looking forward to it. Clucky squawked and hopped up on her lap, giving her the stink eye the whole time. She tried to avoid eye contact, all the while wishing she had decided against joining the game.

"Now Samey," Chris said smugly, approaching her with a saunter. "This one oughta be an easy one for you."

"Something makes me doubt that," she said quietly.

His plastic grin almost seemed to widen. "We'll start the game off with this: _who_ … do you hate the most?"

The fear in her heart instantly went away. _Oh wow. That_ is _easy_. "Who do I hate the most?" she repeated, to which she got a nod in response. "Well… I mean, that should be obvious, right? The person I hate the most is-"

Just before she finished, something flashed in her mind. … _Oh. Oh no. That's true. It's not just her._ _And I don't think Chris will take just one answer._

Clucky was looking at her like she was a predator eyeing its next meal. Sammy let out a shaky sigh. "Um… actually it's a tie between two people."

"Oh?" Chris asked. He did not seem surprised by the revelation. "Do share, why don't you."

"It's a tie between… _Amy_ ," she said with as much venom in her voice as she could. She seemed completely unfazed by it. "And…" She took a deep breath and tried not to tear up. "...Myself."

There were gasps and murmurs amongst the others, and she immediately felt hands on her shoulders from both sides of her. She didn't dare look up to see their looks of pity, but the more positive side of her could almost imagine her friends glaring daggers at Amy, though she likely didn't give a single care.

It wasn't that she necessarily hated herself. Well, there was _some_ truth to it, otherwise she wouldn't have said it, but it was more along the lines of hating who she had become: a doormat with barely any social skills who lived in her sister's shadow and never had the chance or ability to leave it. And while she'd made friends in the last couple of days, that wasn't nearly enough time for her to change how she thought about herself.

So it was with great relief that Clucky, satisfied with the answer, gave a single ' _buckaw_ ' and hopped off of her lap.

Chris faked wiping a tear away. "Heartfelt, emotional… and also true! One point to Team Maskwak!"

The flatscreen lit up with the score, and Sammy did her best to feel happy that she put them in the lead. It didn't really work.

Ella leaned over to her, hand still on her shoulder. "That was… incredibly brave of you. Thank you."

"I don't like lying," Sammy admitted, "especially when doing so is only going to hurt us. I just hope he doesn't come back to me with more questions."

Chris called for attention, and the wheels started spinning again. "Next we'll have… _Rodney_ ," the large farm boy's face showed up, along with a halo, "doing another Truth. And the question is: in your opinion, who is _the_ most attractive girl on the island?"

He gasped and ran up to Chris with Clucky in hand and started whispering to him for some reason. Sammy strained to hear what he was saying, but couldn't make out the words. As he spoke, Sky leaned over to her and started whispering herself. "What sort of question is that?"

"I'm not really sure," Sammy replied, "but I don't think Rodney's taking it very well."

Indeed, he seemed to be sweating bullets and almost hyperventilating at the question. It sort of reminded her of herself whenever she had to deal with a stressful situation, but since she didn't really know him and he was on the other team, she didn't feel _that_ badly.

He looked to the girls on his team; Jasmine was busy cleaning out an ear, Scarlett was examining her nails, and Amy was checking her face in her compact. _She didn't lose that in the zeppelin crash? Ugh! Lucky._ Then he turned to the Bears, and Ella, Sky and Sammy herself all gave him curious, bewildered looks.

"Uh, I, uh…" Rodney actually began chewing his nails in fright. Sammy was actually kind of hopeful he wouldn't be able to answer, as that'd keep them in the lead. But then, for whatever reason, he turned back to the Bears, and looked directly at her. "Uh… S… Samey! It's Samey!"

…

…

… _Huh?_

Sammy stared at him for what felt like a solid ten minutes, but however long it actually was, several things happened during it. Rodney seemed to have liked that answer himself, and wiped his forehead in relief; Amy bolted to her feet and shrilly asked " _What?!_ ", smacking Jasmine in the process and earning herself a glare; and Clucky suddenly grew infuriated, ripped herself out of Rodney's arm and pecked at his team's remote, causing them all to convulse and, in the case of Amy and Rodney, fall over face-first.

And all the while, Sammy's head was swimming with questions.

 _Wha… What?! Huh?! Me?! What?! That doesn't make sense! But wait, he was lying? Why was he lying? Does he not think I'm the most attractive here? Or does he? If he doesn't then why'd he say it? But if he does why'd they get electrocuted? I_ really _don't understand! What just happened?!_

She was being shaken and called to. She shook her head and looked towards Sky. "You, uh, alright in there?"

"I, uh…" She tried to keep her speech under control, but it was especially difficult this time around. "I-I really don't know! I have no idea what to think!"

"Oh, come now, it mustn't be that surprising to know someone thinks you're pretty!" Ella asked, completely oblivious to Sammy's inner turmoil.

"It is though!" She cleared her throat and struggled to lower her voice even further. "Because I'm _not_. Amy's the pretty one. She's the one who gets confessions and everything, though she always turns them down. And I'm… I don't. I'm not. I don't..."

She trailed off, and Sky leaned over and looked her in the eyes. "Um… that doesn't make any sense."

"W-What do you mean?" Sammy asked her.

"I mean, you're identical twins. Wouldn't that make you _both_ the pretty one?"

Just as before, Sammy took a while to process that information. She blinked several times, trying to decipher it in her head, all the while having to listen to Beardo make a noise akin to an old-timey fax machine trying to operate. Eventually she turned back to Sky and asked completely genuinely, "Wait… _really_?"

"Yes, of course!" Ella agreed earnestly, causing Sammy's head to whirl towards her. "I'm surprised no one has told you that before."

Sammy would've replied to that by saying she'd been told the opposite all her life, but her head was a bit wrapped up by the fact that Ella practically just called her pretty. Her face lit up like a beacon, and her already flustered head became even worse. "Um. Yeah. I-I guess so."

Sky rubbed her chin and regarded Rodney as he plopped back down on his log in a daze. "That doesn't explain why he got zapped, though…"

She did her best to shake away the fuzziness in her head. "Uh. I think I want to just leave it at that for now," Sammy quickly insisted, and hoped everyone could forget it ever happened. Besides, being liked by a guy would probably get… troublesome.

Chris cleared his throat, and the game resumed. "Next up to bat is… Beardo!" His face stopped on the screen, followed by a flame. "Doing a Scare!"

"Hoo boy, here we go," he muttered.

"Beardo, for this Scare, you must…" Chris quickly flipped through his cards. "Retrieve a patented Chris McLean bust from _that_ tree over there." He pointed behind their team, towards a tree with a bird's nest on one of its branches. Inside the nest was the Chris bust, and Sammy was surprised she hadn't noticed it before now.

Beardo hummed in thought. "Climb the tree, get the head, get _a_ head. Sounds easy enough." He bounded over to the tree in just a few steps and began searching for any purchases to use to climb.

"Oh, dear," Ella suddenly said in worry.

"What's wrong?" Sammy asked.

"I assume he must not know, but you should never, _ever_ say those words on Total Drama."

"Wait, what? What words?"

She looked at Sammy grimly. "'Easy enough.'"

What followed was a Scare that ended up being so ridiculous, Sammy could've easily seen it being in a cartoon. Beardo scaled the tree and edged out along the branch. He made it to the nest and reached for the bust, but stopped just in front of it. "Whoa, hold up. There are eggs in here! And, uh, I think they're startin' to shake!"

As soon as he said that, the loud cry of an angry bird came from above, and Beardo screamed as the eggs' mother dove for him at breakneck speeds. "Ow! Hey! Watch the eyes, I need those to see!" He attempted to shoo away the bird and reach for the bust at the same time, but he was getting nowhere fast. "I just want the statue! So can you lay off for just two sec-"

At that point a loud crack was heard, and Beardo immediately fell to the ground along with the branch and nest. Recovering quickly, Beardo screamed and pulled himself forward across the dirt just in time to catch two bird eggs and the Chris bust in his afro. Heaving a sigh of relief, he was immediately set upon by the mother again, but to his and the others' surprise the bird grabbed the bust and took off for the sky with it once more.

"Hey, wait!" Beardo called out to the bird as he stood. "Why did you leave your kids behind? They need a responsible parental figure in their lives! You can't just ditch them!" The eggs in his hair finally shattered, however, and out popped two featherless baby birds. They were chirping loudly, causing Beardo to tense up. "Oh you gotta be kidding me! I can't be the parental figure! I'm not responsible enough!"

The rest of the campers were left in silence. "Did… Did that just happen?" Sky asked, dumbfounded. "Did we actually witness that all happen?"

"I… don't think I'm able to process all this," Sammy answered. "My head's starting to hurt."

An intern walked up to Beardo, and retrieved the birds from his hair. "Be gentle with them! They're just kids." The intern did as asked, and slowly walked out of the area with them. "Remember to feed them! They like eating worms from the mouth!"

"I dunno, I feel like Beardo could be responsible enough," Ella commented with a giggle. "He's making sure the chicks are well-taken care of at least."

With a frown, Sammy hummed in acknowledgement. _It takes more than making sure a kid is fed for it to be considered taking care of them._

"Well, now that _that's_ over with," Chris announced, drawing everyone's attention back to him, "Beardo! You're lacking a Chris head, which means you failed the Scare."

The rest of the Bears groaned, but Beardo looked the most shocked. "What? But, but I _had_ it!"

"You're right! _Had_. Past-tense. Now you don't, which means…" A button from the remote sent electricity coursing through Sammy again. It was just as bad as last time, and she was desperately hoping that they wouldn't have to go through that again.

"Sorry, y'all," Beardo mumbled as he sat back down. "Wasn't expecting the bird to just pop outta nowhere."

"It's okay, dude," Shawn told him. "We're still early in the game, _and_ we have the lead. We should be fine."

"Next we have… Amy!" Chris suddenly called, drawing everyone's attention. "And you're doing a Scare!"

"Wait, how come _Samey_ gets a stupid Truth while I have to actually work for my point?" her sister called out, prompting Sammy to sigh in agitation.

"Because them's the breaks, girl!" Chris countered. "Now, for this Scare, you must take this patented Chris McLean bust that I just so happen to have on me, and plant it where we tell you to." He pulled out a Chris head identical to the one from before.

"Oh, come on!" Beardo complained, throwing his hands up in the air. "You had one already?!"

"Hey, shut it! Your turn is done, fuzzball!" Amy shouted, and snatched the head from Chris's hand. "So, where's this thing going?"

"Back down the way you came and off another path is a cave," Chris explained. "There's a very obvious spot inside that you need to put it on. Once it's there, you get a point."

"Ha! Easy! Might as well give me the point now!" She dashed off and back into the woods.

"Hmm." Chris rubbed his chin smuggly. "Will it be easy? I wonder."

"Yeah, uh, really not liking the sound of that, Chris," Topher said to him, though he was looking off in the direction Amy had left. "Normally, I would be! But right now…"

"I must agree with Topher on this," Scarlett said. Due to the volts, her bun was beginning to come out of place. "Why must we all suffer due to one person's blunders?"

"Because this is a _team_ game, and you're all on teams," Chris answered matter-of-factly. "Besides, I like seeing you all get hurt. Seriously, you guys should know that by now."

Scarlett scoffed. "Evidently, I should have."

"If that loud, imperious girl ends up failing and causes us to get electrocuted, then I will make sure she regrets ever being born," Max grumbled snidely.

"You know, for once, I think I agree with something Max said," Sammy said to her team.

"Alright, alright, settle down," Chris commanded, and pressed a button on a separate remote.

The flatscreen changed to a real-time display of Amy, still running down the path through the forest. "This'll be a piece of cake," she was heard muttering. "Get this stupid head on the stupid spot, and then everyone will _know_ I'm better than _her_."

Sammy groaned and rolled her eyes. "And _why_ am I not surprised that's the first thing we hear?"

"Y'know," Shawn said, leaning on his knees and looking at Sammy, "something tells me your sister is more obsessed with one-upping you than you are of trying to get rid of her."

She nodded. "Yeah… I was thinking the same thing yesterday." It would certainly explain why she was prioritizing belittling Sammy as opposed to actually trying to make friends or allies. _And it's even been happening back home, and at school now that I think about it… I don't think I've seen her hanging with the same group of friends for longer than a week. What could that mean?_

Amy soon found the cave, started cheering, and ran inside. Not very long after, the cheer became a scream, and the camera cut to another shot inside. It became a close-up of her face, which had morphed from overconfidence to completely terrified of something, and only once the camera zoomed back out did it become apparent what she was looking at: a _wolf_ , of all things, yapping at her from beneath the rock she had suddenly climbed up.

"Get! Get away! Shoo!" she tried desperately yelling at it, swiping at it with her foot, but it didn't do anything to deter it.

Shooting to her feet, Sammy screamed out in horror. " _Amy_!"

Several of the others turned to her in surprise. "Wait, hold on, why're _you_ scared for her?" Beardo asked. "You hate each other's guts!"

She whirled on Beardo. "I hate her guts, sure, but I don't want her to _die_!"

Amy began looking around, probably for a rock or something to throw at it, but then stopped all motion and stared at something nearby. The camera panned over to show a white circle drawn in chalk on a ledge near her, with the words 'Put Patented Chris McLean Bust Here' crudely written on the wall above it and arrows pointing towards it. " _Seriously?!_ What part of this is obvious?!" She slammed the bust down and made a running leap over the wolf, but unfortunately for her it caught her with its teeth in her left boot.

She slammed onto the cave floor face first with a cry of pain, and scrambled to get away. In response, the wolf bit harder. " _Oww_! You dick! These are my good boots!" To emphasize how good they were, she promptly started stomping on the wolf's face with her free one. After three hits, she managed to actually strike her heel on its eye, causing it to yelp and drop her leg. It backed off and stared at her for a second, but then it simply ran further into the cave. Amy wasted no time in getting out.

Sammy sighed in relief and fell back down to the log. Though a brat and a bully her sister may be, Sammy didn't want to see _anyone_ get seriously hurt, let alone eaten. Besides, what would Mom say if Sammy came back home alone? _Can't say I'd exactly miss her… But I still wouldn't want her dead. That crosses way too many lines in my book._

Soon Amy was able to trudge back, but the adrenaline had left her body. Now she was more hobbling than running, with every step she took accompanied by a limp. The wolf's teeth must've gotten her good.

To her surprise and the surprise of many others, though, someone ran up to her to make sure she was okay.

"Wha… _Topher?_ " Sammy asked quietly. "Since when were he and my sister close?" The two of them were talking in hushed whispers, and once or twice Amy would look past him to spy on Sammy, though it wasn't longer than a second each time. Topher tried to help support Amy by taking her arm over his shoulder and directing her to the log, but Chef soon came up and took Amy to an infirmary out of sight.

"We'll cut to commercial break while Amy gets patched up," Chris explained, and then properly signed off to the cameras. "Everyone, take five. The next half will start soon."

Sammy watched as Topher stared after Amy, and with a huff he went back to his spot on the bench. She wasn't sure it sounded like he was all that worried, though. _Did Amy really try to befriend someone after I told her off yesterday? Though with how close they were, that was_ way _more than just friends… What's going on between them?_

"Are you doing okay?" Sky asked her. "You seemed frazzled. And I don't mean by the shocks alone."

Sammy let out a breathy laugh. "This is a _weird_ day with a _ridiculous_ challenge. Too much has happened and we're only at the halfway point. First my own truth got me feeling down, then Rodney saying those things and getting shocked, then Amy nearly getting eaten by a wolf… I kind of just want it to end now and go back to camp."

"Yeah, I can understand what you mean."

"I think I'm just gonna… rest until we start again." Sammy leant on her knees, closed her eyes and tried to regain any sense of calm that she may have had before. It didn't really come back to her.

* * *

Amy came back none the worse for wear, though she was still walking with a bit of a limp. Apparently Chef had the bite marks cleaned and wrapped, and deemed her fit to return to the game. With her victory, the points were now tied, which put the Bears back on edge.

The next set of Truths and Scares went by without too much harm, for the most part. Sky had to drink a full bottle of mineral water which, with Shawn's help, she managed to do. But after he shook the bottle and sprayed it straight into her mouth, she looked like she was ready to blow at any second. Still, it got them the point.

Topher was forced to sing the national anthem while a scorpion was climbing his leg. He was quite obviously terrified, but he sung with gusto, and though he didn't have a voice that was comparable to Ella's, he still managed to get all the way through without being stung. Sammy had to admit, that was an impressive feat; and Amy thought the, as she actually congratulated and complimented him along with the rest of her team, which threw Sammy completely for a loop.

Rodney was asked another Truth, about which one member of his team he'd save in an emergency. Again, he wasn't able to answer for some reason. That was twice in a row for him now (not that Sammy wanted to remember the first time), and he was looking mighty uncomfortable and guilty under the stares of his teammates. If the Salmons were to lose, Sammy had an idea of who was going home.

Shawn was dared to wipe his snot into Beardo's sleeve, causing the girls of the Bears to gag in disgust. The guys didn't seem to mind it though, what with Beardo offering his sleeve easily enough. The problem came from Shawn shooting the snot out of his nose like a _rocket_ , covering Beardo entirely and also hitting the girls. Sammy would've thrown up on the spot if she didn't get electrified for Shawn not following the Scare to a T, and thankfully the snot was burned to a crisp because of it.

Max was then asked what he feared most, and he gave an answer that just screamed 'Max' and said that he feared nothing. Clucky caught on to the lie immediately and literally stomped on the remote control, several times in fact, thoroughly electrocuting the lot of them. Sammy decided that if Rodney wasn't the one eliminated, Max would be the one going home instead.

Finally, Ella was given a Scare, which was to pet a live tarantula. Unfortunately, when Chef Hatchet approached her with it on a silver platter, she quickly drew away from it in obvious revulsion.

"I'm sorry," she said in apology after the team got fried again. "I love all sorts of creatures, but most arachnids are a bit too much for me…"

"It's okay, no one blames you," Sammy said, placing an arm around Ella's shoulders. "Just try your best the next time you're chosen, okay?"

"Right," she said. Despite her sorrow, she sounded resolute.

"And after so many challenges, we're still tied two-two," Chris announced. "Mostly because a lot of you are _hopeless_ at this. But never fear! It's time for the lightning round!"

The lightning round was as its name implied - there were several Truths and Scares happening back to back in quick succession. Truths were made easier but given a shorter time frame, while the Scares were completed one after another in quick succession. Even when Sammy was called upon to do a Scare - specifically to do ten pushups over a bowl filled with fire ants - she managed to pass it with flying colors. And despite so many of the campers performing well…

"You're _still_ tied?!" Chris shouted, tossing his cue cards into the air. "Seriously?! We're _out_ of Truths and Scares!"

The general mood shifted and everyone began to applaud at the news. "Does that mean we can finally go back?" Sammy asked Sky in a whisper.

"...Is what I _would_ say, if we didn't have a tie breaker round!"

And the applause turned to cries of frustration. To Sky, Sammy quickly whispered again, "Um. Never mind."

"To cap off the episode, we'll have one member of each team take these tightly knotted bags and try to untie them." Chris held up two burlap sacks, both tied with long, thin rope. "Inside is the opposing team's shock remote, and when you get your hands on it, you can press the button to give 'em what for! And also to win you the challenge."

"That doesn't sound too-" Beardo began, but Shawn clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Shush! We don't want him to make it any harder!" he hissed.

Chris probably noticed, but he didn't call attention to it. "For this sudden death, we will have…" The roulette, now limited to just the contestants' faces, stopped on- "Rodney! Facing off against…" One more spin, and this time it landed on- "Ella!"

Sammy felt the pit drop in her stomach. The few times Ella had been called on to perform, she was unlucky in that she always received Scares and never managed to earn her team a point. On the other hand, neither did Rodney, so they were putting two of the lowest players against each other now. It made sense, but it didn't make Sammy any less apprehensive. If the Bears were to lose, she had an inkling of who would be getting the boot, and she did _not_ like the answer.

With her team cheering her on, Ella gracefully took center stage, but not all the people on Rodney's team were rooting for him; though Jasmine, Topher, and Scarlett were encouraging him, Amy's and Max's comments were backhanded and insulting at best. Luckily for Rodney, they were overshadowed by the more positive ones.

The host handed the two players their bags. "We'll go until one team gets shocked," he said, and with that he signalled the start of the sudden death round. Ella daintily worked on her knot at a pace that would have normally been considered too slow, but since Rodney was having a considerable amount of trouble with his, her pace was actually the faster one.

"Oh, man!" he cried out. "My fingers are too dang big! I-I can't get it loose!"

"Really?" Ella asked. "I undid mine easily enough." She pulled out the remote and dropped the bag to the ground. Rather than actually push the button however, she looked towards Rodney. "Would you like some help?"

"What? Ella, no!" Sammy cried out. "You have to push the button! That way we'll win!" The others sent her similar urgings, but when she turned back to them she only looked conflicted.

"Are… Are you sure?" Ella asked, looking at the remote. "It's just so… _mean_. I can't do that to them!"

"You have to!" Shawn shouted at her. "This is what you signed up for, remember?"

"I…" She looked between her team and the opponents, who were either continuing to urge Rodney to work faster or looking at her with fear. She saw those looks, sharply took in a breath, and held the remote away from her. "No! _No!_ I can't! I'm not going to hurt them!"

"Girl, that's gonna come back and bite you some day, you realize that?" Beardo called out to her.

"Just this once, Ella, we won't make you do anything like this again!" Sky offered.

"He's going to push the button first if you don't do it now!" Sammy told her. "So please, _please_ , don't let them win!"

Ella looked at them, at _her_ specifically, and Sammy was momentarily caught off guard by how vulnerable she looked. She was unwilling to hurt them, and Sammy honestly respected her for it, but Ella must have realized that if they lost she might not survive the night. It was certainly a position Sammy wouldn't want to be in, but they were _so close_ to winning that Sammy kept shouting at her to press the button.

She looked between both teams, at Rodney exclaiming that he finally found a loose thread; her eyes were wide and unblinking, and tears were threatening to fall at any moment. She was breathing heavily and rapidly, and was holding the remote in a death grip, with her hand visibly shaking. It looked as if she was about to throw it to the ground…

But then she let out an anguished cry and slammed her finger on the button.

The Bears cheered as their opponents were shocked, but it was only for a second. The moment Ella pushed the button, she hurled the remote into the air and dropped to her knees, covering her face and openly bawling into her hands. With a gasp in fright, Sammy jumped from the log and wrapped Ella in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Ella was saying through the sobs. "I didn't… I didn't want to do it, but…"

"I'm sorry too," Sammy said, running a hand through her friend's hair to try and soothe her. "But we won! I know it wasn't what you wanted to do, but you got us the win! So please don't be… please don't…"

Ella looked at her with the eyes of someone whose entire world had been shattered, and Sammy felt her heart break in two.

Here was a girl who just wanted to have fun and make friends. Who just wanted to sing and dance and enjoy life. Who had her secrets, but who didn't? She just wanted to _live_ and enjoy herself, and she wanted to share that with as many people as possible.

And Sammy helped to ruin that for her.

In hindsight, it was so painfully _obvious_ to her that Ella didn't want to hurt anyone. She had so much love to give and she tried desperately to make everyone happy. Of _course_ she'd go out of her way to ensure no one was hurt, even if it would have cost her the challenge. It was probably why she had cried after hitting Jasmine with that tree branch yesterday, and why she was so scared to even throw a balloon at anyone. She just wanted to not cause anyone any pain.

_And I ruined that for her._

The tears started fresh and unbidden down Sammy's own face. "I'm sorry," she said softly, realization washing over her like a flood. _I messed up._ "Ella, I'm so, _so_ sorry." She pulled Ella into a tighter hug, resting her chin on the songstress's shoulder. "I shouldn't have done that to you. _We_ shouldn't have done that to you. I'm, I'm so sorry."

It was only then that Ella returned the hug. She didn't say anything, and only continued to sob.

* * *

Despite the win, the mood was somber. Sky and Beardo immediately knew something was wrong when Ella fell to her knees, and though they apologised they didn't say anything else. Shawn attempted to strike up a conversation on the way back, but it was quickly snuffed out when no one was willing to talk. Ella had walked in absolute silence the whole time, and Sammy was with her every step of the way. The others were ahead of them, occasionally looking back, but otherwise not interacting.

Sammy felt like a _fool_. All this time she just wanted to be who she wanted to be, with no one to tell her what to do or to boss her around or anything, and what did she do? She did just that to Ella. She got too caught up with the challenge and the sudden death and everyone cheering that she practically forced her friend to do something she didn't want to do. Did she even have any right to call her a friend anymore? Probably not.

Her thoughts clouding her mind, she barely noticed when they arrived at camp. Shawn lit the fire and Beardo handed out the chicken while Sky took from the breakfast bag. Ella declined her winning portion with a single shake of her head, and ate from the bag as well.

Just like the walk, dinner was silent. Once everyone had their fill, they went their separate ways, though Beardo opted to stay at the fire. Ella rose and started to head into the forest, and finally Sammy worked up the courage.

"Ella, wait," she called out, quickly following her. Her words started cascading out like water from a broken dam. "D-Do you want to talk? I'm, I'm sorry, about what happened, and I know I keep repeating that but I really _am_ and I don't know how else to apologize other than that, I've never had any friends before now and I'm really, really scared that you're going to leave me, and I know what I did was terrible and I shouldn't have done that and I just wanted you to know I'm so, so, _so_ sor-"

Ella hushed her with a finger to her lips. "Sammy," she said simply. "I… I forgive you."

She blinked rapidly. "Y-You do?"

"Yes. And I haven't stopped being your friend. Okay?" Sammy quickly nodded, relief flooding her veins. Ella removed her finger and took a step back. "I'd still like to be alone for a little while, however. Can I ask you to… give me some space?"

Sammy nodded again. "Yeah, of course. Anything you need. I'll, uh, I'll be here, if you need to talk. Okay?"

Ella nodded her thanks, and turned back toward the forest. She didn't say anything else as she disappeared behind the trees.

Sammy was alone once again, with only her negative thoughts to keep her company. Ella said she forgave her, but she couldn't help but think that she was just saying that…

She backed up against a tree, dropped to the ground, and began hitting the back of her head against it. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, _stupid…!_ "

About 15 minutes of self-berating later, Sammy returned to the campfire to find Beardo simply lounging by it. He didn't seem too upset by anything, but neither did he seem happy. He looked up to her neutrally. "Everything good?"

Sammy fell to the ground with her legs drawn up to her chest. "I don't know."

"Is that true, or is that just your head telling you that?"

Sammy looked at him, then back at the fire. "She forgave me. But I still feel like crap."

"I think we all do," he said, finally letting his guard down and having a bit of emotion in his face. "Well, probably everyone but Shawn. Something tells me he's not as emotionally invested in us as we all think."

"Sounds about right." Sammy took a stick and prodded at the fire. "Beardo, am I a hypocrite?"

He looked at her in surprise. "What makes you ask that?"

"I was thinking about it earlier. I… All this time, I've been trying to break free from my controlling sister, and now I go ahead and demand someone else do something they don't want to do. I should've seen the signs that Ella would be so against hurting anyone, but I still made her do something so… _horrible_. I was so focused on winning that I didn't stop myself, and now I can't stop thinking that I did something Amy would've been perfectly fine doing. Does that make me a bad person?"

Beardo pursed his lips in thought and hummed. "I don't think it does, no."

"No?"

"Do you plan on continuing making her hurt others? Or anything else she doesn't want to do?"

"Wh- No! Of course not!" _How can he even suggest something like that?_

"If it only happened one time, and you recognize what's happened and plan on making sure it doesn't happen again…" He shrugged casually. "Then, yeah. You're fine."

"…Oh." Sammy took a moment to mull that over. "So… I'm not a hypocrite. That's… good. But I still feel terrible." She took a large breath. "What should I do? I… I've never done something like this before. I've never… had a friend to _have_ this sort of thing happen before. I'm so totally lost."

Beardo remained quiet for a bit, then asked, "Was there anything else she said to you?"

"She wanted some space, so I guess I should do that, but…"

"Then, yeah, absolutely do that."

"Y-Yeah?"

"Yeah." He sat up and looked directly at her. "Okay, look, I ain't the most knowledgeable about friendships either. But everyone needs their space, especially when stuff like this happens. If she's already forgiven you, that's great! But you also need to let _her_ heal as well. Just because she forgave you doesn't mean everything's peachy and that she's ready to go back to how it was before. That'll come later, when she's ready."

"So I should just… wait? I mean… in hindsight that makes sense, but it's gonna be hard."

"It's also gotta happen. You can't force someone to be happy. Something tells me you know what that feels like."

She smiled wryly and dropped the fire stick. "You're right. I'm no good at forcing myself to be happy." She huffed and leant back on her hands. "I'm also apparently no good at relationships! Argh, why do they have to be so hard?!"

"No one said they're easy. You just gotta take it at its own pace and act and react accordingly. If a friend wants space, you give 'em space. No need to question that."

Sammy paused, thinking it over, and then nodded her head. "You're right. It just takes time to work out everything." _Like a lot of other things._ "I need to be patient."

"There you go," Beardo replied. "I'm sure everything will work out, probably sooner rather than later. Ella seems like she bounces back easily."

"Yeah, I think she does." Sammy looked back at him. "Thanks, Beardo. For someone who's also treading on new ground, you sure know how friendships work."

"What can I say?" he asked with a shrug. "I watch a lot of TV."

"Heh, clearly," she replied with a laugh.

Beardo then turned into the shack for a post-lunch nap, leaving Sammy tending to the fire. She was still blaming herself for everything, but she also kept reminding herself that everything would be okay in the end. Maybe it would happen sooner, like Beardo said, or maybe later on down the line, but for now, all she could do was wait.

Suddenly she burped, and tasted the chicken from lunch. She briefly wondered what had happened to Clucky after the challenge, but figured it was best she didn't know.


	6. Saved by the Belle

Sammy woke up, saw Ella turned towards the wall in her sleep, and exited the shack with a sigh. The blinding light of the morning hit her square in the face, and she had to squint as she attempted to locate the breakfast bags.

"Morning," came Sky's voice quietly. She was off to the side near the edge of camp, currently stretching. She appeared to be getting ready for a run, if that fact that she had taken off her shirt and was in her sports bra meant anything.

"Hey, morning," Sammy replied, doing everything in her power to not zero in on her abs of thunder. "You, uh, going for a run?"

Sky threw her arms up and arched her back, and Sammy hastily busied herself with finding those bags. "Yep. I've been doing this every day since day two. I just get up early enough for no one to be awake. Kind of a habit."

_So it's earlier than normal… No wonder. I didn't sleep very well._

"Hey, you said you run too, right?" Sky asked.

Sammy looked at her. "Yeah, I did. Not very often now, but still. Why?"

"Wanna come with?" she offered with a smile. "Running with someone is always more fun. And, uh…" Her gaze briefly flicked towards the shack. "Who knows, it might help you get your mind off of stuff."

She was probably right about that. "What about foraging, though? After Shawn ditched me yesterday I don't know if he'll show up today at all."

"Then I'll help you once we're done," she offered. "Most times I tend to go all over the place before getting the water, but I can cut it short so we have enough time to do everything."

"You sure?" She finally found the bags hidden under some bushes, though she wasn't sure why they were hiding in the first place. "I don't want to throw off your schedule."

"It'll be fine! I probably shouldn't be pushing myself so hard just before a challenge, anyway."

"Hmm… Well, alright then." Finding a better spot for the bags, Sammy took off her uniform and left herself in her blue and pink nightwear. She did a few stretches of her own, nowhere near as robust as Sky's but enough to get her through the run, and shook herself loose for a second before declaring she was ready.

Sky nodded, though she took a look at her feet. "Running in heels isn't going to be easy."

"You're telling me," Sammy groaned, examining the mustard stain that was still on there. "But it's not like I have much of a choice. I'd rather these than bare feet."

"I suppose it's the better option, yeah." Humming in thought, she then said, "No need to go at a full sprint then. We'll take it easy."

That made Sammy feel bad. She rubbed her arm uncomfortably. "You don't have to accommodate me, you know. I'm just going to slow you down."

She gave her a patient smile. "But that's what friends _do_ , silly. They're there for each other when they need it the most. Doesn't matter if it slows them down; if they _want_ to be there, then they will be. And I _want_ to be there for you. Okay?"

"Y-Yeah, but-"

Sky placed her hands on Sammy's shoulders. "Sammy," she started. The smile never left her face, though she was being rather firm now. "It's _okay_."

Sammy let out a deep breath, and nodded. "Okay."

"Good." She let go and started for the edge of camp.

Following after her, Sammy hesitantly said, "S-Sorry. This whole… 'friend' thing is still new to me."

"No worries," Sky said. "We're here for you no matter what."

 _At least until the merge. Then you'll probably ditch-_ She slapped her hands over her eyes a few times. _No, no! Stop thinking like that, stupid! She's your friend and she's not going to ditch you! God, you need to get those negative thoughts under control._

"Ready to go?" Sky asked her.

"Totally," Sammy said, trying to be a bit more enthusiastic than normal. "Let's do this."

* * *

True to her word, Sky took it easy on Sammy. She was half expecting her to suddenly burst on ahead and challenge her to a race, but she stuck by her the whole time, even when Sammy asked for a quick break a couple of times. By the time they returned to the camp, Sammy was tired, but invigorated, and ready to tackle the day's challenge.

But first, there was breakfast. And shockingly, next to the sacks were a few perfectly usable baskets that could definitely hold more fruit. They were also definitely _not_ there when they left, which left the girls confused. Unsure where they came from but assuming it was Shawn, Sammy and Sky put their proper clothes back on and went out hunting for fruit.

At some point after finding a good spot, they started chatting about different things, and eventually Sky began talking about her Olympic aspirations.

"I've already mentioned, but 100 meters and 100 meter hurdles are what I'm aiming for," she explained. "I've also been interested in trying something longer, but that'd be for later on. Right now I've actually got to get _into_ the Olympics, and what better way to do that than to start small and work your way up?"

"Oh, I understand that all too well." She looked up from the bush she was kneeling in front of and over to her friend. "What got you interested in the Olympics, anyway?"

"Actually, that would have been my older sister."

That caught Sammy off guard. "Wait, you have an older sister too? I had no idea."

Sky shrugged. "I guess I never mentioned her before now. She's in university, but she's also training for rhythmic gymnastics. Actually, she almost made it last time the Olympics were held, but just _barely_ missed the criteria. She's been practicing like crazy ever since."

"Whoa," Sammy said in awe. "Rhythmic gymnastics is tough. Your sister must be really skilled if she almost made it."

"She is." Sky's grin widened. "Her name's Hope, and she's basically my role model. She's smart, fun, and pretty, and I want to be just like her some day."

"That's incredible. I hope you manage to do that." Sammy couldn't help but feel the _tiniest_ pinprick of jealousy from that.

"What about you?"

She halted her berry picking. "What about me?"

"Do you have any role models? I'm assuming _your_ older sister is a definite no. What about your mom or dad? Or anyone else?"

"Um… Can't say I do, actually."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I haven't really thought about it 'til now. Never really had a chance to. Or a reason to, I suppose."

"And what about now? Now that you have the chance."

She put her hands on her lap and thought it over: if there was something she wanted to be, it was confident and happy. She wanted to be the opposite of what she was now, and though she was getting better it wasn't anywhere she wanted. If what she desired was to be able to smile naturally and not have to worry about things all the time, then the person who was most like what she aspired to be was-

Sammy snorted. The answer was so _simple_.

"Ella," she answered. "Easy."

"You know," Sky said with a chuckle, "I can't say I didn't see that coming."

Unable to stop herself, Sammy continued. "She's just so… _positive_ and bubbly and happy all the time. Plus she's a good friend and a great person in general and just wants everyone to do their best. That's honestly something I can really look up to. It's… not something I've seen very often in my life. Not many positive influences where I'm from…"

"Well, I guess that's changed now, huh?" Sky said.

"Yeah…" Sammy let her grin go wide. "I guess it has." _Now all that needs to happen is for her to be okay again. I hope it happens soon, for her sake._

After a bit more scrounging, the two decided they had enough food, and began the trek back to camp. Before they got too far, though, they started hearing something. At first Sammy thought it was a wild animal, which would be weird because outside of challenges there didn't seem to be any wandering around, but the more she listened the more it sounded like… muttering.

And then she recognized the voice.

Sammy clicked her tongue. "Aw, shit."

Sky looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"It's Amy. Unfortunately. Jasmine said yesterday she was out foraging for her team. ...Weird that she decided to stick with it for the second day."

"What do you want to do?" Sky asked. "We can approach her or leave her."

Sammy tried to listen better to the muttering, though it was pretty much exactly what she had expected. 'Gotta show I'm the better twin', 'Can't let Samey get the best of me', 'This'll shut Jasmine up'... _It's like she's trying to get everyone to hate her. ...Except Topher, apparently. Which is still_ super _weird to me._

"Maybe we should just leave," Sammy suggested, taking one step forward. "I'd rather not let her know we-"

"Wait, don't step-"

A loud _crack_ sounded out, and Sammy glanced down to see she had inadvertently stepped on a branch.

The muttering instantly stopped. "Who's there?!" Amy called out.

" _Seriously?_ " she hissed loudly. " _Now_ of all times?" She pointed accusingly at the branch. "It's like someone planted this here!"

Rustling came from a nearby bush, and before Sammy and Sky both could make a break for it, Amy pushed her way through. She immediately scowled when she saw who it was. "Oh, _great_. It's Spareamy and the gnome. What do you want?"

Sky gasped, offended, but Sammy looked her right in the eye. "'Spareamy'?" she repeated, deadpan. "Don't tell me that's a new version of Samey."

"Yeah, it is! And it's what you are!" She took a step out of the bush. "Just a useless, spare copy of- _Gah!_ " Suddenly she tripped and fell to the ground, her hands flying to her leg. " _Damn it!_ " she cursed through grit teeth.

 _That's the leg the wolf bit…_ Sammy frowned at the sight. If one were to ask her why she did it, she wouldn't be able to give an answer, but all the same she reached out to her sister. "Are… you okay?"

Amy's eyes flew over to Sammy and she swatted the hand away. "What's it matter to you?! Huh?!"

Sammy rubbed the hand that was hit and sighed. "Nothing, I guess."

Amy spat at the ground and rose unsteadily to her feet. "That's what I thought. Now get out of my way." She walked a few paces more, readjusting the burlap sack over her shoulder, before stumbling once again and supporting herself on a tree.

Sammy was keen on letting her go, but Sky had other ideas. "What exactly is your problem, anyway?" She stepped closer to Amy. "Sammy is one of the sweetest, one of the most thoughtful and hardworking people I've met. How did she end up with such a _monster_ of a sister? The only reason I know you even come from the same mother is because you're identical. Otherwise, you're worlds apart in terms of similarities!"

Amy crawled to her feet and glared at Sky. "How is it that _Spareamy_ of all people managed to get people to defend her? She's a waste of space! A good for nothing! You're better off just voting her off! It'll save you trouble in the future!"

"You keep saying that, but you know what? I think Sammy's been more helpful to our team than you've been to yours. And now that you two are separated, she's doing it _without_ you forcing her to. So tell me, _Amy_ , what have you contributed to your team since you got here?"

Her glare never faltered. "Uh, _duh_? It should be obvious! I got us two points yesterday, _and_ I managed to get your dumb beatbox guy out in the balloon challenge! So there!"

"But," Sammy spoke up once more. "You didn't actually win those challenges."

Amy whirled on her. "What does that matter?! I still helped!"

"What about the first two, then?" Sky asked. "The shelter building and pig challenges. What did you do there?"

For the first time, Amy actually hesitated. "W-Well, I got the pig through the tubes!"

"Wasn't that more Sugar than you?" Sammy asked. "From what I remember you were just following her while she carried the pig."

She pointed a finger at her sister. "You shut up! You didn't see everything that happened!"

"And the first challenge?" Sky insistently repeated.

Amy glared to the side and clenched her fists. "You… you know, wood and nails and crap like that. Look, who cares about this?!"

"Jasmine got the nails, not you," Sammy said, her tone of voice rising. She walked up next to Sky and right in front of Amy. "How about you _stop_ lying to make yourself look good for once in your life?"

"Wha- How did you-"

"Because I was there! She showed me where they were!" Sammy got _right_ into Amy's face and pushed a finger at her chest and, for the first time in either of their lives, _Amy_ was the one who shrunk in front of _her_. "You do this _all the time!_ You lie to try and make yourself look more important and responsible than you actually are! You're doing it _here_ , and you've always done it back home as well! Do you know how much of the credit you take for all the crap I do for you? _All of it!_ You get everything, and I get nothing! You _steal_ everything from me! Not just credit, but my stuff as well! I'm missing, like, five brushes that you wanted but didn't get, you know! Oh, and speaking of stealing, don't even get me started on school stuff! The reason you get good grades? _Because you make me do your homework!_ I'm almost positive you'd get held back if I wasn't there copying all of _my_ answers onto _your_ work. Plus, chores, meals, _everything_ I do is because you don't want to do it! I'm shocked you figured out how to _walk_ without me helping you do it! You're a spoiled, entitled _brat_ who's bad attitude and terrible behaviour is going to bite you in the ass _so hard_ one of these days that you won't be able to sit down! And I am absolutely shocked and appalled that you've managed to get away with it for this long! But I promise you, _Amanda_ , that I will never, _ever_ , be doing _anything_ you force me to do _ever again_!"

She hadn't realized how little breath she had until she finished. By this point she had gotten so close to Amy that her sister had pressed against the tree and slid down to the ground. There were a myriad of emotions on her face - rage, fear, embarrassment, maybe even a hint of shame if Sammy bothered to look hard enough. The one thing on her mind right now, though, was that Amy was forced to realize that no matter what, Sammy was done with her and everything she made her do.

And in Sammy's mind, she realized something. _Doesn't matter how harsh it is_. _She freaking deserves it._

Amy looked like she had something to say, if her opening and closing mouth were any indication, but she didn't get a chance to do it as Chris started the speaker phone and announced it was challenge time.

"We should go," Sky told her. "We need to get breakfast to the others."

Sammy had forgotten that detail. She looked down at Amy one last time and said, "Just so you know… those were only _some_ of the reasons why you suck. There are so many more that I wouldn't even be able to begin listing them before the challenge started."

They left her there, sitting against the tree, and made their way quickly back to camp. It wasn't even a few seconds after they were gone that they heard Amy scream in pure fury.

"Not gonna lie," Sky said once the screeching died down. "That was pretty epic."

It _felt_ epic. "I think I'm gonna have an easier time standing up to her from now on. Now that it's obvious how much of a child she really is."

"Oh, no doubt about that."

"And… I don't think I've said it out loud yet, but it's good to actually have people who have my back for once. I think that in order for me to be able to do this myself, I needed someone else to guide me along the way. You and the others really helped me on this. So… thanks, Sky."

She grinned. "I told you. That's what friends are for."

Sammy gave her a toothy grin. "I'm starting to seriously believe that."

* * *

As they walked to the challenge, Sammy was elated to find out that Ella was… better. Not perfect, but better. She was smiling and being talkative, but she still seemed a bit more subdued than normal. Sammy considered this progress nonetheless, and decided to keep herself quiet for the time being until Ella really let her know she had gotten over it. It wouldn't do any good to rush things, after all.

They were all brought to a beach, different from the one they landed on when they first arrived, where instead of being surrounded by rocks there were trees and open plains around them. In the water not too far out from shore were two sets of docks, with long bridges connecting two square platforms each, one red and one green for both teams as per the norm. On the discoloured squares were large piles of big sticks with even bigger padding on the ends. They were the sort you'd see on TV shows where the contestants have to fight each other and knock them into the water.

Seeing those, Sammy had an idea for what this challenge was going to be about.

The weirdest thing was, Chris seemed… shinier than usual. And his grin was so much wider than before. Quite frankly it was unnerving, but no one aside from Topher really seemed to care, so she just left it be.

Of course, Amy was there too, but like the last few times Sammy stood her ground she opted to just ignore her entirely. Was she embarrassed for letting Sammy get the best of her, twice now? If so, she could get used to this.

"From the looks of it," Sky said suddenly, "it seems like they voted out Rodney."

Sammy would admit, she hadn't really noticed. But Sky was right, the big farm boy was nowhere to be seen, and now only Jasmine stood towering over her teammates. "At least we don't have to deal with the extra muscle today," Sammy said with a shrug. Sky nodded in agreement.

The challenge was as she predicted - two people had to cross their respective bridge and grab a stick at the other end, then make their way back to form an X on the hooks at their homebase. Two sticks make an X, three X's will win the game, so that was a total of six sticks that were needed. And, as it wouldn't be Total Drama without it, the players were encouraged to wail on each other as they passed by; if they or their sticks fell in the water, they'd forfeit the point.

"So it's like water jousting, kinda," Beardo mused. "'Long as you don't get caught off guard, you should be fine."

Probably having overheard, Chris continued. "There will also be a surprise if I feel that the game isn't exciting enough! Just keep that in mind."

Beardo sheepishly laughed at the people looking at him, and mimicked zipping his mouth closed with a realistic zipper noise.

Surprise or no surprise, Sammy groaned in frustration. "This whole time, you've been blowing us up and shooting at us and electrifying us… Just what is your fascination with making us get hurt?"

Chris's demonic grin stretched even wider, somehow. "Easy question! The more pain we inflict, the more people enjoy it! More enjoyment, better ratings! Plus, I don't like you guys, so it's a win-win for me!"

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Somehow that answer was not unexpected.

Everyone was instructed to swim out to the platforms themselves, despite Chef driving a speedboat nearby. Sammy pulled herself up on her team's red platform and let the water drip from her clothes. "If I wanted a bath, I would've gone to the waterfall," she muttered.

"Perhaps we can get one once we're done?" came Ella's voice. She was holding on to the side of the platform, and without really thinking Sammy bent down and helped her up. "Thank you."

"Welcome. Um, yeah, that wouldn't be a bad idea." She knew she should wait, but her nerves had flared again, and before she could stop herself she said, "Ella, I-"

Ella shushed her, and she stopped talking immediately. The serene smile didn't leave her face. "After the challenge, okay?"

"Oh." She nodded. That was better than nothing. "Okay."

Beardo then pulled himself up and started wringing out his hair, while Shawn practically leapt out of the water and shook himself off like a dog, right in front of the girls. "Being waterlogged just makes you a slower and easier target for zombies," he explained, not noticing that they were soaked even more now. "But thankfully I managed to learn a basic drying technique from our neighbor's German shepherd. It comes in handy!"

"Yeah, I bet," Sammy said dryly. Ella only laughed behind her hand, which caused Sammy's smile to return.

When everyone was settled, Chris gave one final rule: everyone had to go at least _once_ before restarting the running order, though technically the order didn't matter. With that out of the way, he started the challenge. When Topher announced to his team that he'd go first, Beardo stepped up for the Bears. "I'll go first for us!" he declared. In a whisper he added, "That guy doesn't seem very capable, so maybe our stronger players should hang back for Jasmine or someone."

"Good thinking," Sky approved. "Go knock 'em out!"

He gave them finger pistols and realistic gunshot noises, and he took off at a sprint, though it wasn't all that fast considering. Both boys reached their sticks at the same time and took one, and on the way back was when things got interesting. Though Topher was screaming angrily, he didn't actually look like he was going to bother to swing, oddly enough. And so Beardo, noticing it and grinning, swung his stick like a baseball bat right into his gut, complete with the sound of a ball cracking against it. With a grunt, Topher flew back and into the water, and the Bears cheered, with Beardo himself mimicking the sound of an audience.

"And Team Maskwak takes the lead!"

"Nice, Beardo!" Shawn said with a hand held out.

Beardo accepted the high-five happily. "It's honestly like he wasn't even trying." They looked at the Salmons to see Topher pulling himself up, to the glares of the rest of his team. "Heh. Not that I'm complaining."

"Anyone want to go up next?" Sky asked.

"I might as well go," Shawn volunteered. "I want to see how effective a weapon these sticks would be against the undead. If they're good, I may need to invest in them."

"Just remember to come back here when you're done," Sammy told him.

"No worries," he said casually. "This'll be a piece of- Aw, crud."

Jasmine was stepping up to the plate for her team. She gave Sammy, and probably Shawn, a wave, and though she was more than happy to return it, the zombie boy was hesitant to do so.

Sammy picked up on that. "You, uh, you good, Shawn?"

"I, uh-" He looked between Sammy and Jasmine, and gulped. "No, no, I'm good. I think. Maybe."

"And, _go!_ " Chris yelled into the megaphone.

"There's no time for 'maybe'!" Sky shouted, and pushed Shawn from behind. "Go! _Go!_ "

" _Ah!_ Alright, jeez!" Shawn ran down the dock, and as he passed by Jasmine she tried sending him a smile, but he must have ignored it as she quickly donned a confused frown.

When Jasmine reached her team's sticks, she took a second to look at Sammy. "What's eating him?"

 _Zombies, probably. Pfft._ "N-Not sure!" She hated lying, but telling your friend's crush they had a crush on them wasn't something you just blurted out. That said, Sammy wanted to help as best as she could. "You should try asking him!"

"Good call!" And with that she doubled back just as Shawn did. When they met in the center, they locked their sticks together and Jasmine attempted talking to him. They were speaking just quietly enough that Sammy couldn't hear, but then Shawn blushed _hard_ , which basically confirmed everything Sammy had been thinking. When Chris demanded more action, Jasmine apologized, managed to get her stick underneath Shawn's and sent both man and weapon flying into the water, several paces away from the docks. His scream was… high-pitched, to say the least.

"And it's a tie game!" Chris called out, as Jasmine put her team's first stick on its hook.

"Girl's got some muscle on her, doesn't she?" Beardo asked with a low whistle.

"I know _I_ wouldn't want to be caught in a dark alleyway with her," Sky said.

"Sorry, guys," Shawn said to them sadly as he pulled himself from the water. "I, uh, got distracted."

It was Ella who helped him to his feet, and also helped straighten out his clothes and hat. "We forgive you. So, what did she say? I saw how you looked when she spoke. I think you two would be adorable together!"

"I- Huh?! What?! No! I mean... maybe. I mean, no! I can't risk falling for her because love is a liability in the apocalypse! You try to save someone from having their brains eaten, then _yours_ is the one turning into a snack!"

Sammy let out a gasp. "So you do have a thing for her! I _knew_ it!" There was nothing cuter than two friends getting together. Now all Shawn needed to do was get over this zombie thing and everything would be perfect.

Shawn covered her mouth with his hands, a wild look to his eyes. " _Shhhh_! Don't let her hear you! I'm not ready for anything yet!"

"But you do like her, right?" Ella asked.

"I- I don't want to answer that right now!"

Sammy sent a glance at Ella, who likewise looked at her. She knew what the other girl was thinking - Shawn was _definitely_ into her.

"Hey, Maskwaks!" Chris shouted from his own platform. "Quit Ma- _squawking_ and get to running! And to beating each other up! Time is ticking!"

Sammy glanced back to the other team, and felt her jaw set when she saw Amy stepping up. "I'll go next."

"Uhh… You sure about that?" Beardo asked her. "Not gonna lie, she looks like she's out for blood."

She began to roll her shoulders to loosen them up. "That's good, because _so am I_."

He let out another low whistle. "Dang. That could be, like, a line from a movie, y'know?"

"I believe in you, Sammy!" Sky shouted encouragingly. "Kick her butt!"

"Take her down a notch!" Shawn said.

"Try not to get hurt!" Ella called out.

Sammy grinned at her team - her _friends_ \- and gave them a peace sign. "No worries! I got this."

She took off down the bridge. Amy did the same, and though she tried to hide it she was still limping somewhat. They didn't say anything, didn't even look at each other as they passed. She reached the other end of her dock, ignored the taunts coming from Max, and grabbed the nearest stick and raced back. Amy was also making her way across, and Sammy knew what was coming.

Channeling 11 years-worth of anger, she heaved her stick over her head and swung it down with all her might. Amy, however, managed to catch it on her own stick, and though she fell down onto one knee, she managed to hold her ground, and the look she was giving her was one of absolute murder.

"You're a rotten, ugly _horse_!" Amy shouted at her, teeth gnarled.

 _Oh, trash talking? That's how we're playing this? Alright,_ fine _._ "Yeah? _You're_ a bossy blonde cow!"

"You're an attention hog who _smells_ like a hog!"

"You're a lying _snake_ who can't even do basic math!"

"You pissed the bed until you were 13!"

"You suck your thumb to this very day!"

"Your whole life is worthless!'

"Mom hates you!"

"Topher thinks you're _fat_!"

"You-" She paused. "Wait, what? Why would I care what _Topher_ thinks of me? He's a snake just like you! No wonder you two are _perfect_ for each other!"

That threw Amy off, and she stuttered out an incoherent reply. With her distracted, Sammy pulled her weight away from Amy, causing her to fall forward, and with as much strength as she could muster _slammed_ her rubber padding on the back of her sister's head. Amy went straight into the water between the bridges with a gargled cry, and without a second glance Sammy dashed back to her team.

"I did it!" she cried as she returned. She propped up her stick, forming the Bears' first X, and revelled in the cheers her teammates gave her. _I… can get used to this._

"That was _awesome_!" Shawn told her, slapping her on the back roughly. "You've got a nice swinging arm. Perfect for fighting against the creatures of the night!"

That was definitely a Shawn compliment. She was starting to get just a _tiny_ bit tired of it, but she knew that what he said was sincere coming from him. "Thanks!" she replied to him, and honestly meant it.

"I knew you could do it!" Sky said, patting her one the back. She then started cracking her knuckles. "Now, if you guys don't mind, I think I'm ready to-"

"Um, actually, Sky, would it be alright if I went?" Ella asked, cutting Sky off. If this was Ella's attempt to get completely out of her funk, then Sammy was more than willing to allow her. Hopefully Sky felt the same.

"You sure? Looks like you're up against…" Looking over, everyone watched as Max performed leg stretches quite… elegantly. _That's something I'll need to scrub from my mind._ Sky grimaced and turned away. "Uhh, actually, you should be fine."

"Wonderful!" Without another word, Ella took off down the stage in a skip, and when Max saw her he hastily did the same. Minus the skip.

"Uhh, you sure she'll be okay?" Shawn asked. "Max may be diminutive, but I don't think he'll have any problem smacking Ella off the platform. And considering what happened yesterday…"

"Well, everyone has to go once," Sky explained, "and since Max will likely be an easier target than Scarlett, this is our best bet."

"Hey, uh, speaking of Scarlett…" Beardo mentioned, and pointed out at her.

For some reason, the redhead on the other team had taken their one stick and was fishing for something in the water. It didn't look like her teammates had noticed, too focused on Max as they were. She found whatever it was she was looking for, and with a cough that suspiciously sounded like a spoken word, she chucked whatever it was in Max's direction.

To Sammy, Scarlett was one of the more… down to earth people here, or so it felt. She hadn't actually had a conversation with her yet, and could only base it on what she had done or said during the challenges. She _seemed_ like a decent person, if somewhat withdrawn and indifferent to what was happening around her, but from the few bits of activity she had witnessed, Scarlett seemed like someone who knew what to do, looked out for her team, and helped whenever she could without causing trouble.

When Sammy saw that the thing Scarlett threw to Max was an _electric eel_ , her opinion of her flew right out the window.

"Wh-" Sammy couldn't believe what she was witnessing. "What the hell?!"

"No way!" Shawn shouted. "I was swimming with that thing?!"

Max, gripping the stick by its rubber padding, raised it above his head and grinned wickedly when the thing managed to wrap around the metal rod. He screamed in what he probably thought was a menacing tone, but it was just coming off as nasally. It didn't change the fact that he still had it held over his head like a weapon of mass destruction, and ready to slam it down on poor, unaware-

" _Ella!_ " Sammy screamed, running to the edge of the red platform. "Don't! Get away from him!"

"Huh?" She had stopped in the middle of the bridge, focus shifting entirely to Sammy, but when Max drew closer to her she looked back and reflexively raised her stick. "Um, please don't hurt-"

Max struck his electrified stick onto Ella's.

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHH!_ "

Whatever voltage that eel was working at, it was apparently _leagues_ more powerful than the shock collars from yesterday. Ella was shaking, convulsing, and it looked like she was trying to let go of the metal rod but wasn't able to, all the while Max cackled evilly from his side of the docks. Sammy had her mouth covered in horror, unable to take her eyes away from what was happening.

She had no clue how long it lasted - it couldn't have been more than five seconds, but it felt like 30 minutes. The eel soon let up and the sparks stopped flying. What terrified Sammy even more, though, was that Ella was still screaming and shaking.

With everything that happened, it made sense that she forgot where she was. Which was probably why she took one step back. And then another.

And then the currently out-of-commission Ella fell into the water.

" _ELLA, NO!_ "

Boots came flying off without a care, and before Sammy knew it she was leaping over the dock and into the eel-infested waters after her friend.

She looked in the direction she had fallen, and once the bubbles dispersed she saw Ella, clutching the stick like a lifeline but being too frazzled to try swimming to the surface. Wasting no time, Sammy swam towards her. In the back of her mind, she realized it had been years since she last went swimming anywhere, but with her cheerleading physique it proved to be no problem.

She reached the songstress, and did a very quick check. Her eyes were open and she was holding her breath, thankfully, but her pupils were very dilated and she had an iron grip on the metal stick. She just barely looked up at Sammy when she drew near, but otherwise she didn't react at all. Realizing they were going to run out of air soon, Sammy put her hands under Ella's arms and took off for the surface. She also managed to snag one of Ella's shoes that must've slipped off, and tucked it under her arm.

Before they broke the surface, a weird, distorted mechanical noise sounded out, and if Sammy was hearing it in the water then it must have been loud. She glanced down to the ocean floor, and was shocked to see that a hole was being opened up in the bottom, sort of reminding her of a secret laboratory entrance.

That's when a bear burst forth from the hole. A bear in scuba gear, sure, but nonetheless a _bear_.

Sammy held back a scream and kicked with all her might to make it to the air. Ella hadn't sunk very far before Sammy had grabbed her, so it was only a few moments before they made it. Catching her breath while making sure Ella's airways were above water, she quickly made for the dock, where both Sky and Shawn were waiting for them. They grabbed Ella's arms and pulled her up, and Beardo did the same for Sammy right next to them.

She stayed on her hands and knees, breathing for air, and was happy to receive a back rub from Beardo. His hand was big and warm and very welcoming, considering how _cold_ the water was. She gave him a lopsided smile, but it faded just as quickly. "How is she?" Sammy asked, crawling over to Ella.

She looked incredibly uncomfortable. Her eyes were now screwed shut and her mouth was pulled at the edges. She had finally let go of the stick, which was lazily drifting away in the water, but her hands were still clutching at each other, and if she hadn't been wearing gloves Sammy was sure that she'd see her knuckles turning white. Despite that, she was breathing, so no water had managed to fill her lungs. _Guess being a singer has its perks. Larger air capacity. That'd be nice to have._

Her focus squarely on Ella, Sammy didn't notice the raw anger on Sky's face until she shouted in rage and sprang up. "Cheaters! Lousy, rotten _cheaters!_ You can't just do that and expect to get away with it! In my world, you'd be penalized and taken off the team!" She took off down the bridge, easily surpassing Scarlett's pace. She reached the end and grabbed a stick, then bolted back at breakneck speed, entirely fitting for an aspiring Olympian. Scarlett hadn't even reached her team's sticks yet, and was almost caught off guard by Sky's attack.

Almost.

Scarlett then casually ducked under where Sky's swing would've connected, and the lack of contact made Sky lose all traction and fall flat on her face. Unfortunately, her stick landed in the water, and no longer counted for a point.

"No! Seriously?!" Sky called out, attempting to reach for the stick, but it was too far out for her to grab.

"I suggest planting your feet on the ground the next time you swing," Scarlett told her, walking back to her team with a stick in hand.

Sky growled and slammed the bridge with her fists. She wasn't going to let her get away, however. "Scarlett!" Sky cried, rising and turning back around. "I'm not done with you yet-"

She never got to finish, as something burst from the water and landed in front of her. Shooting her head fully up, Sammy saw the scuba-clad bear from under the water _roar_ in Sky's face, brandishing its claws menacingly. Naturally, Sky shrieked and booked it back to her dock.

"And here's the surprise I mentioned!" Chris yelled to them. "Everyone, meet Scuba Bear! He's going to do everything in his power to keep things rolling smoothly. Even if that means one of you gets eaten. So watch out!"

Sky growled once more and stomped her foot in anger. Beardo noticeably backed away a step. "This isn't fair! How can that be alright for them to do?!"

Chris shrugged, his smile still creepy beyond all belief. "Ella got hurt, so I'm allowing it! You guys really overthink this stuff, don't you?"

Sky muffled another scream and turned on the opposition. "You better not do anything like that again! I'm on to you guys!"

There were probably more verbal beat downs from Sky planned, but every action stopped when Ella stirred for the first time. She groaned, her eyes slowly opened and her hands gradually let go of each other. Her eyes immediately found their way to Sammy's, who couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"W-What happened?" Ella asked. Her voice was hoarse but she seemed otherwise unharmed.

"You doing okay?" Shawn asked. "You, uh… you took quite a shock. Sammy here had to dive in and save you."

The two looked at each other. "You did?" Sammy nodded. It looked like Ella was trying to remember that. "Oh, yes. I recall." With Sammy and Shawn's help, Ella rose and sat sitting on the edge of the dock. "I'm… I'm sorry everyone. I didn't realize something like _that_ was going to happen."

"This is _Max_ we're talking about," Shawn said. "I don't think any of us saw that coming."

"Max _and_ Scarlett, let's not forget," Sky reminded. "They've been buddy-buddy for a while now, it's no wonder they're working together."

"Listen, I'm glad you're not really hurt," Beardo told her, "but I'm gonna jet before Chris gets mad again."

"Yes!" Sky said, attempting to push him towards the bridge. "Go! We've got everything covered here."

Sammy started rubbing Ella's back in what she hoped were comforting motions. The smile she gave her was reassuring at the very least. "How are you feeling?" Sammy asked.

"Um… okay. I think."

"Are you able to stand?"

"Let's see." Taking one of Sammy's hands, Ella swung her feet up onto the dock, but was surprised to see one foot bare. "Oh? Shoot. Did I lose it?"

"Ah, right, I had forgotten that. No, I have it here." She had placed it aside when they had reached the dock and promptly forgot about it. _She might still be a little out of it, so I'll help._ "Here, let me."

"Oh! Why thank you." Sammy took her foot and slid the slipper on, causing it to make a weird squelching noise. She couldn't help but laugh a bit at it.

Ella found it ridiculous as well, if the giggle was anything to go by. "My hero," she said, a dash of sarcasm in her voice. But from what Sammy could pick out, only a dash. Sammy helped her to her feet, and after a bit of wobbling she managed to stay upright without any assistance. "I think I'll be okay for now," she said.

"Okay enough to go again when your turn comes?" Sky asked her, just as Beardo returned with his second stick.

Everyone cheered for him before Ella answered. "Perhaps just a bit more rest will do the trick."

Sky nodded. "Of course. Shawn, you're up again!"

He took a look out and sighed. "Hoo boy."

Jasmine was gearing up for round two, but she didn't look particularly thrilled. In fact she had been glaring at an innocent-looking Max and Scarlett the whole time. She definitely didn't approve of their methods, but they did get a point, which probably explained her silence.

To Shawn, Sky said, "Just evade her this time. Use those zombie-dodging skills you've mastered!"

"We'd still be tied though," Shawn said. "Four sticks each, and that'll put them closer to winning."

"But it'll do the same for us!" Sky said. "Look, Jasmine's a powerhouse and will definitely overpower you if you go in head-on. You'll have to get around her somehow, preferably while taking her out, but don't sweat it if you can't. We'll pick up the slack if need be. Okay?"

"Well, alright." He shook himself loose and took off down the way.

Jasmine did the same, once again stopping and speaking to them when she made it to the sticks. "Is your girl alright?"

"I'm… okay, I suppose," Ella answered her.

She looked visibly relieved to hear that answer. "That's good. Listen, none of us had any clue that was going to happen. I'll have to give Max a good talking to once this is done."

"That's all I ask. Thank you."

Jasmine ran back and wound up to fling Shawn off the bridge again. "No hard feelings, mate!"

"Same to you!" Shawn shouted back. Jasmine swung low, aiming for his feet to literally sweep him off them, but Shawn seemed to anticipate this and leapt clear over it. Surprised, Jasmine just barely managed to right herself, but when Shawn he smacked her along the face, finally causing her to topple over and fall into the drink.

"Nice one Shawn!" Sammy cheered for him. He placed the stick on the hook, forming their second X.

Surfacing the water and shaking it off her face, Jasmine looked up at Shawn. "Hey!"

He immediately started panicking. "Ah! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit you that hard!"

"What?" She waved a hand and scoffed. "Don't apologize! That was righteous! Wasn't expecting that at all!"

"Oh. Really?"

"Yeah, man! I'll let you have this one but don't expect me to go easy on you anymore!"

Shawn laughed nervously, but even from behind him Sammy could tell he was grinning widely. "I'll, uh, hold you to that!"

Jasmine swam back to her platform, and Sammy let out a deep breath. It was her turn again, if this was going to be the set order, so she needed to ready herself. Twice now she was forced to deal with Amy that day, but with how things were going she figured she'd be able to keep it up for another little bit.

She turned to Ella and took a hold of her hands. "Will you be alright?"

Ella nodded, her hands tightening around Sammy's comfortingly. "Yes, I will be. You do what you have to do."

She nodded and grinned, and readied herself for round three of confronting her sister. Choosing to keep her boots off, she took off down the bridge and grabbed her stick. This time it was Amy who struck first on the way back, and Sammy was left on the defensive.

They were each struggling to get the upper hand, and while she tried to think of a way out of it, another thought occurred to her. "Hey."

Amy glared, but didn't let up. "What?" she spat.

Sammy's glare never left her face. "I always used to ask this when we were younger, but I never got an answer." She'd been waiting for so long to try again, and now that she'd found her courage she figured she'd might as well give it a shot. "So… _why?_ "

"Why _what?_ "

"Why _everything_? Why have you tormented me so much in my life? What motivates you to keep doing it? Why did you start in the first place? Do you know how much I've been through because of you? You've made my life a nightmare and I don't know the reason for it. So I'm asking again, because for some reason you refuse to tell me: _why_ do you insist on doing it?"

A pause. Amy seemed to be deliberating what to say, though she didn't put any less weight behind her pushing. And with the venom of a snake in her voice and her eyes glaring hatred at her, she answered simply:

"Because you were _born_."

Sammy scoffed and rolled her eyes. "That's not even an answer! How does that even-"

This time, unfortunately, it was Amy who got the upper hand. Sammy, too caught up in that pitiful excuse for an answer, stumbled forward when her sister pulled her stick back. With her positioning, she was able to swing it around and bop Sammy in the eye with the padding. Momentarily stunned, she received the other end to the gut, and was sent backwards a bit and to the wooden board, her head hitting it hard. Her stick dangled on the edge, and though she scrambled to retrieve it Amy kicked it away and into the water.

"It _is_ an answer." Walking towards her team, Amy shouldered her stick and ignored her sister's gaze. "You're just too stupid to figure out why."

"Argh! Damn it…" Holding her head, she looked longingly at her overboard stick, and trudged her way back to the dock. _I know I've been making good progress, but getting set back like this_ hurts _._

The part of her brain that seemed intent on knocking her down was expecting to be met with criticism upon returning, but as the realistic part of her brain reminded, it was anything but. She received 'Nice try out there', 'You'll get her next time', and her personal favourite, 'Remember, this doesn't change how we feel about you'. How just a few simple sentences could put her at so much ease was a mystery she likely wasn't going to figure out soon. She just really wished it hadn't taken this long for her to be subjected to them.

Ella was next, and she was insisting that she was fit to go. No matter how many times the others would ask her to make sure she actually was, she swore she was okay and refused to change her mind. "I need to make up for that… embarrassing display from earlier. I promise, I'll come back with a stick, and we'll take the lead once more!"

"We keep saying, we won't think any less of you, you know," Sammy tried to tell her.

"And I keep saying, let me do this."

Ella didn't normally get quite so adamant about the challenges, but with a confidence in her voice and a fire in her eyes Sammy was more than willing to drop her worries. "Okay. You got this."

"Thank you."

When it was time for the next people to go, Ella took off at a run rather than a skip. It seemed despite her continued happy-go-lucky exterior, she was just as determined to win as anyone else, and knew when it was time to get serious. Maybe not so much in the 'willing to hurt someone' part of her mind, but at least she knew now that something had to be done.

Or maybe she was pissed at Max. Ella was human, and she didn't need to be cheerful 100% of the time. Yesterday had proven that.

Whatever her plans were, though, she never got to see them through. Max stopped part way down the bridge and began gloating. "You've returned again!" he shouted, pointing at Ella menacingly and causing her to skid to a stop and stare. "So you must be aware that the time has come for you to-" It was at that very moment that Scuba Bear chose to crash the party. He did so by jumping up out of the water and behind Max, roaring, and chucking him off of his platform.

"Oh come on!" Amy screamed from her side. She appeared unconcerned for Max as he landed in the water some distance away. "That's not fair!"

"The surprise can tamper with the match as he sees fit," Chris said. "As such, this is allowed."

"Ugh! Stupid host changing the stupid rules!"

Scuba Bear roared again, and everyone started shouting at the one remaining runner. "Ella, be careful!" Sky cried out to her.

"Go under its legs!" Shawn suggested. "Make it confused! Like our team name!"

"Forget about that, girl, come back!" Beardo yelled. "It's not worth it!"

"Wait!" Sammy said, but not to Ella, rather to her team. She held an arm out in front of them all, and got them to stop. "She's… She's doing something."

Instead of running in any which direction, Ella instead stood her ground, staring up at the bear as it glared at its prey. It wasn't that she was frightened on the spot - rather, it looked like she was trying to control her breath. And in a few seconds, it became obvious why.

" _A beary rare treat from you to me,_

" _I've received an offer to sit down for tea._

" _With a side of cookies and muffins for two,_

" _There's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here with you!_ "

Miraculously, Scuba Bear _loved_ the song. He sat down, started swaying to the tune, and once Ella finished he actually rolled over on his back and demanded belly rubs. Sammy swore, if she wasn't allowed to run out on the bridge when someone else was on there, she would've given him those scratches. He looked _adorable_.

"Aww, who's a big huggy buddy?" Ella cooed, rubbing her hands all over his giant underside. Scuba Bear growled happily, his tongue lolling to the side of his snout. "You are! Yes you are! _Yes you are!_ "

" _Nnnnnnooooo_!" Chris suddenly shouted, rising from his beach chair and stomping his foot in frustration. His permanently smiling face made it all the freakier. "I've had it with the singing and the taming of the animals! Ella, your ability to get the animals on your side has gone too far!"

"What?!" she cried, turning her full attention to him. "But I've only done that once before now!"

"That doesn't matter! If you so much as sing to a _ladybug_ any more, let alone at all, you can kiss your keister _cannon fodder_!"

"B-But I was only-"

"Don't care, so shut it! Scuba Bear, do your job and _eat the girl!"_

He punctuated this by angrily throwing his coconut cup at the bear, which was perhaps not the greatest idea. Instead of at Ella, Scuba Bear picked himself up and instead roared at _Chris_.

"Uh oh…" he said worryingly as the bear launched himself off the platform and over to his. Not wanting to see how a bear exactly eats a man, Sammy turned her gaze back to Ella, who was looking around both in her direction and at the other team.

"Ella, now's your chance!" she called out to her.

"R-Right!" She ran, but not at a sprint seeing as how there were no further distractions. She ignored the glaring of some of the Salmons, and hurried back with her prize. With the first stick of the last X in place on its hook, this meant the Bears were one score away from winning the game, and if they were able to earn themselves a winning streak, that would be icing on the cake.

 _Three wins to Amy's two…_ Sammy couldn't contain her grin. _If we're able to do this, that'll_ prove _I'm not just some spare copy!_

Unfortunately for the Bears, the lead did not last. With Sky going against Scarlett again, the brainiac proved trickier and more cunning than anyone else would think she was capable of. She managed to not only sidestep Sky's swing, but gently tap her behind the leg and send her down to one knee, after which she swung for the head and hit her right into the water.

"Ugh, why can't I get around her?" Sky bemoaned as Sammy and Beardo pulled her up. "She's slipperier than she looks."

"Yeah, you wouldn't think someone who looks like a school librarian would be able of dodging and weaving like that," Beardo agreed.

"We're down to the wire here, folks!" Chris exclaimed. He seemed absolutely none the worse for wear after getting set upon by a bear. Oddly, said bear seemed to have mysteriously disappeared. "Both Kinosewak and Maskwak are at five sticks each! One more will seal the deal! Who's going to take the win home? And who's going to be _going_ home?"

"So, who's up?" Sky asked them after huddling together. "We're at the top of the list again, and even though we've been keeping it steady throughout, I think we can send someone who wouldn't normally be going now."

"I'm cool with that," Beardo said. "Pretty sure the only reason I got two so far was because of Topher. Either that or dumb luck."

"But we can't guarantee they'll actually send Topher," Shawn countered. "They could send someone a _lot_ more competent out in his place."

"I, um, I'm not sure if I should be the one to go again," Ella said. "I'm worried they're going to send someone like Jasmine. And she… easily beats me in terms of strength."

Shawn began to offer to go, but was shot down when Beardo mentioned Jasmine could get in his head. As the two began to argue, Sammy looked out to the Salmons, and was surprised to see Amy looking at her team.

Actually, it was more like she was looking right at _her_.

 _She's looking for a fight._ Sammy frowned. _Again._ She looked at her still arguing team, to Amy's team also in a discussion, and finally back to Amy herself staring her down. Without a word to anyone, Amy broke from her group and stood at the edge of the dock, waiting to start.

Also, probably to try and scare her, Amy took her thumb and drew it over her throat.

Sammy scoffed at the gesture. _Wow, dramatic much?_

"I'm going," she said simply, and separated from the group.

"What?" Sky asked, looking between her and Amy. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. Right now…" It was about to get cheesy, but regardless it was something she needed to say. "I need to be able to prove I'm capable of doing this. Not just to you guys, or to my sister, but to _myself_. If… If I'm able to do this, to win for us against Amy, then I'll know that I can do it any other time. That I'm able to do things away from her, by myself and for myself." She took another look at them. "And if I don't try now, I don't know when I'll get another chance."

"And if you can't do it?" Shawn asked.

"Then…" _We lose and we vote someone out. And that someone will no doubt be me. …And that's not the negative voice talking this time._ "We cross that bridge when we come to it."

Ella walked up to her and put her hands on her shoulders. Sammy thought that was where she'd end the contact, but after a moment she got wrapped into a hug. "I believe in you," she said. A second longer, and she pulled away. "Make us… and yourself, proud."

"That," Beardo started, wiping a solitary tear from his eye, "was the most inspiring thing I've heard all week. You've got this girl!"

Sky nodded, nothing but confidence on her face. "Show her what you're made of."

"Thanks guys," Sammy said, and turned back to her personal demon. "I won't let you down."

They got themselves into position, and Sammy did her best to focus and not worry about her nerves shooting through the roof. A tough act she put on, sure, but her anxieties were once again getting the better of her. _You can do this, you can do this! Don't worry about failing, just… don't think at all!_

With this being the last round in the game, Chris decided to up the flare by giving the sisters a countdown. Sammy psyched herself up as best she could, and when the host shouted ' _Go!_ ', she took off as fast as she could.

The boards were slippery from continued use, and she did her best to avoid any large puddles. She was still bootless, figuring heels would've been more of a hindrance than an advantage in this situation. And either she was right, or Amy decided to copy her and ditch her own boots. Her wounded leg was wrapped tightly with bandages, though there wasn't any trace of blood on them, so they had likely been changed recently.

They eyed each other as they ran by, and like every other time they doubled back when they grabbed their sticks. Now, it was the moment of truth.

They didn't exchange words this time. There wasn't a need to. Instead, they both _slammed_ their metal rods together and glared at each other. When neither of them would give way, they simultaneously drew back and struck again. And again. And again. Over and over this went on - Sammy from below and Amy from above, from the left and to the right, multiple times with the padded sections. It was obvious Amy felt the need to prove she was the superior one, otherwise she wouldn't have been trying this hard.

Then Amy chose to spice it up a bit. Rather than block Sammy's swing, she went for a swipe at Sammy's legs. Sadly for her, she made it quite obvious what she was about to do - subtlety was never her thing - and Sammy managed to leap over the stick and land without issue. Amy growled in annoyance and went right back on the attack.

The two swung at each other so many times, and blocked just about the same number of them, that Sammy idly wondered if the audience at home would believe this to be a choreographed performance when the episode aired. She decided to chalk it up to that whole 'twins know what the other is thinking' superstition, since there was no good explanation as to why none of her swings were _hitting_.

But then a thought occurred to her - something she hadn't thought about at all until now. On their second run, Amy had stolen her idea from the first run, and had managed to startle her into stumbling and getting bashed aside. That was a very Amy thing to do, no doubt about that.

 _But what if I did that to_ her _?_

Sammy took a single moment to eye her bad leg, and she just barely managed to notice that it seemed to be shaking. There was a part of her telling her not to do it, but desperation was beginning to win over, and so she went for it.

She pushed back Amy's stick and aimed for the legs. With her momentum, she had to spin around for it to be any effective, but unfortunately, it was too big of a windup. Amy saw it coming and leapt into the air. She grinned when she jumped, but the grin morphed into a look of pain the moment she landed.

When she did, she cried out and toppled to the bridge, clutching her bad leg.

 _This is it,_ her mind said in disbelief. _You can end the suffering right here and now._

She wound up, like a golfer would, and aimed for the head.

But then she had one final thought.

_You can end the suffering… at least until Amy tries to get back at you again._

And that was the one thought that caused her to _stop_ just inches away from her sister's face.

This entire time, Sammy had been trying to get out of Amy's shadow. That was a given, of course, she had made it her goal since the very beginning. But now that she thought about it, was the way she had been going about it the right way to do it? This whole time she'd been loudly and angrily declaring she was done with her sister, calling her out on the things she'd done, insulting her, and now physically fighting her in order to come out on top.

_But… won't this amount of anger and violence just keep escalating?_

Once she was done with this, Amy would definitely try to find a way to retaliate, whether here on the island or back at home. Then Sammy, having discovered her newfound confidence, would get back at her, and then Amy would strike back after that, and the cycle would just keep going and going.

Unless one of them stopped it.

Amy was a bitch with a capital B, there was no denying that. But did that mean Sammy had to be one too to escape her grasp?

Instead of kicking her while she was down and prompting Amy to keep firing back, what if Sammy just… _didn't_?

Would that stop Amy? Chances were, no. But Sammy wanted to change, and changing into someone like Amy wasn't acceptable. She wanted to be her _own_ person, not the spare copy her sister claimed she was. But going down the path of anger and violence would lead to her being just that - another Amy, another bully.

And she didn't want that.

So instead of hitting her sister in the head and sending her into the water, she backed up without a word and took off towards her team.

They were understandably confused at first, but when it was obvious that Amy wasn't in any position to make it to her team before her, their cheers grew exponentially. Sammy placed her stick on the last X, and allowed the smile growing on her face to evolve into a wide, toothy grin.

"And that's the game!" Chris loudly announced, though Sammy barely heard him over the shouts of her friends. "Team Maskwak takes the victory!"

Everyone was congratulating her, singing her praises, and Sammy couldn't be any happier. She had originally wanted to join Total Drama to get away from Amy, and if these foreign feelings of bliss, excitement and acceptance meant anything, she was pretty sure she had managed to accomplish that goal.

Suddenly she was taken under her legs and back, and thrown up into the air by Beardo. She screamed, but it turned to laughter when he, Shawn and Sky caught her and tossed her into the air again and again. They gave three cheers for her, which Sammy felt was _way_ too cliché, but she wasn't going to let it ruin the moment.

At the apex of one of the throws, Sammy looked back over the docks and at Amy, who to her surprise hadn't moved from the middle of her bridge. She was looking at her again, but this time there was no trace of anger. Instead it felt more like… melancholy and confusion. Like she wanted to know what just happened, but was forcing herself to keep from asking. Though there was a part of Sammy that wanted to ask her what was up, she knew she would be ignored and told off, and chose instead to focus on the fact that she helped her team _win_.

Or she would've, if the next throw hadn't been one that tossed her into the water.

With a splash and a flounder, she broke the surface and coughed up water. "What was that for?" she shouted to her team, but their relieved and laughing faces took the wind right out of her sails, and she found herself laughing with them too.

It was Ella who bent down and offered her a hand. "Let me help," she said, and the smile she wore was the warmest yet.

Sammy grinned right back, and took her hand without any hesitation.


	7. In the Hair Tie of the Beholder

Walking down the familiar trail, Sammy had to hold herself back from laughing as Ella's shoes made squelching noises with each and every step, though she was failing miserably at keeping it in. Ella, for her sake, didn't seem to mind or care, and kept walking with a smile on her face.

 _She's so happy right now,_ Sammy thought. _Almost like nothing bad happened at all._ And just like that her mood quickly turned gloomy. "Hey, uh, I'm sorry about Chris banning you from singing. That must not be very fun for you."

A sigh escaped her lips, but the smile didn't waver as she shrugged. "It is what it is. I suppose singing to the animals was an advantage he didn't want me to have."

"That's pretty cool that you can do that, though," Sammy noted. "You must really have a way with them."

"Ah, well, truth be told…" She scratched her neck awkwardly. "It was only singing to the animals on this island that I realized they calmed down and listened to me when I did. I've sung to animals several times before now, but they never really reacted the way the island's animals do."

"Really?"

"Really. It was surprising at first. I didn't do it often, just a couple of times with the pig and a few birds on the first day. I thought I saw a pattern and took a shot at it with Scuba Bear, and was amazed that it actually worked. Unfortunately I won't be able to do it anymore, but I can understand where he's coming from. It wouldn't be fair to the others, after all."

"No, I'm pretty sure it's cuz Chris is just a dick," Sammy deadpanned, prompting Ella to snort out a laugh.

"Ahaha!" Ella's laughter always seemed to raise Sammy's spirits. "O-Okay, yes, he's a… a, um…" She cleared her throat. "Not nice. But, I also recognize what taming the animals could do for the competition. You saw how Scuba Bear went after Chris. I wouldn't want to have any animals go after any of the others at all."

Sammy understood that. If any of the wild animals were to attack anyone, that could lead to… nothing pleasant, for sure. And being the one responsible for that? That'd be a nightmare to live with for the rest of your life.

"That's fair. But still, singing's your passion, isn't it? Will you be okay?"

She gave her a sad smile, but nodded regardless. "I'm able to hold off on it for a few more days. Besides, now that I'm this far and we've been having a good winning streak, I'm thinking I really want to try and win, you know?"

"Oh, yeah?"

"Mm-hm. Before, I may have just wanted to come on the show simply to say I was on Total Drama. Making friends was a big factor in that as well, and I've already managed to achieve that." The two of them grinned at each other at that. "Now, though… there's really not much else to do except keep moving forward. It will be a challenge, and it might be disheartening not being able to sing, but I think I'm ready to do what it takes to push onwards."

"Even if it means-" Sammy stopped herself and swallowed. "That you have to… Um…"

Ella seemed to know what she was trying to say. In fact, it was perhaps more accurate to say that it had been at the back of her mind all day, the same as Sammy. "I've been thinking about that. I am… a pacifist at heart. I don't like hurting anyone, whether by physical, verbal, emotional, or… any means, really. And… I will be honest. The end of yesterday's challenge was terrifying for me."

Sammy clenched a hand around her arm in an iron grip. She knew that was coming, and while she'd been prepared for it, she also knew that her mind was going to go into overdrive with the negative comments. 'This is your fault', 'You should be ashamed of what you did', 'Why can't you do anything right', and so on. She tried to ignore them all, but of course they managed to worm their way into her brain, just like every other time.

"But I also think it was a wake-up call."

And then, for once, all thought stopped in her brain. "Wait… what?"

Ella sighed. "Like I've said, I don't like hurting people. I have never liked hurting people. And I will _never_ like hurting people. But despite that… I know there are those who will go out of their way to hurt _me_. This whole experience so far, while fun and wonderful and exciting, has also been rather dangerous, and I would be naïve to think that I can get to the end without hurting someone or being hurt myself. These last few days prove that. So, I'm not happy about it…" She looked Sammy dead in the eye. "But if I need to do it, so be it."

Sammy, however, was more than a little worried. "Are you sure? You're just… going to change your mind that easily?"

"I mean, it's nothing drastic. I'm not suddenly going to turn into a raging lunatic and punch everyone here in the face," she said with a giggle. "I'm still going to try and keep the peace between everyone as well as I can. But…" She gave a determined nod. "If push comes to shove, I should probably shove back."

That was a rather admirable decision to come to. It must not have been an easy one. "And you've been thinking about this since… yesterday?"

Ella nodded. Her gaze became hardened by a fraction. "Shawn was right, on that first day. Total Drama is a show where there's only going to be one winner. It isn't the place where you can just skip and sing and be cheerful day in and day out and expect to get far. …Well, it _might_ work if you're careful about it, but… no one else would be like that, would they? Max certainly wasn't."

Sammy's mind replayed Ella's screaming for her again, and she shuddered at the thought. "Ah, you're probably right about that."

"And despite his warnings, I had been denying them internally this whole time. I didn't want to think about hurting anyone, it was far too mean and upsetting. But now, after some thought, I think I can find a way for me to stay true to what I believe in, and also defend myself when the time comes."

"And… how will you do that?"

"Simple. I'll imagine I'm a hero in a TV show."

_…What._

It was clear that her expression was emulating her thoughts, as Ella quickly went into an explanation. "Think about it. Heroes in shows and movies are always- well, most of the time, kind, generous people who go out of their way to help others and be _good_. On the other hand, they stop people from doing bad things, even if that involves getting… well not _violent_ , per se, but…"

"They get involved and have to sort it out themselves," Sammy offered. "Sometimes through force, and sometimes through talking. Right?"

"Yes! That's a good way to describe it."

She wasn't going to lie, it was… a slightly silly way of thinking. But really, it wouldn't be Ella if it was anything but. Besides, Sammy could at least see where she was coming from. "I can see the logic behind that, yeah. And if that's what you think will let you do better on the show, then by all means, go for it."

"Thank you! But, it doesn't have to even be just on the show. When I get home, I'll-" She caught herself, paused, and looked away. "Um. N… Never mind."

 _Uh. Okay. That was very much not Ella-like_. _And what was that about 'home'?_ "Um… Everything good?"

"F-Fine!" she said far too quickly. "Everything's fine! Anyway, we're back now. Let's enjoy some lunch!"

She ran on ahead, where the other three had just started setting up the fire. Sammy hummed worriedly - it was clear as day that Ella was hiding something, but it wouldn't be right to pry it out of her. She would just have to wait until she was ready to share.

Lunch today was left over pizza. Possibly from Chris's fridge, after being left there for a week or two. But still, _pizza._ Forget the fact that one or two slices already had bite marks in them, she didn't realize how much she'd missed it until the first cheesy bite entered her mouth. Hopefully the others wouldn't mind if she asked for seconds. Or thirds.

They talked as they normally did, but it was mostly full of general conversation and the occasional reminder that hey, Sammy, you did good today. She accepted the praise with a grin and a thank you each time.

Once the food was gone and everyone was free to do what they wanted, Sammy excused herself to go to the confessional. She tracked it down after a bit longer than she would've liked - _Is it just me or does it always seem to be somewhere different?_ \- and entered without issue.

First and foremost, she did her business. Secondly, she flicked on the camera and said her piece. She was so proud that she won the game for her team, and was certain that she was in good favor with all of them for the time being. She explained her reasoning for how she dealt with Amy in the final round, and her curiosity as to what was troubling Ella so much. She didn't want to force the answer out of her, but she still wanted to help if she could.

A few more things were said, and she decided to end it there. Turning the camera off she opened the door, and headed back in the direction she came. Or, she would have if she wasn't stopped.

"Long time no see, gorgeous."

Sammy felt herself shiver from her head to her toes. She turned around just slightly to see Topher leaning against a nearby tree. He was doing his best to look suave and sophisticated, but to Sammy he just looked like a creep. _God._ _No wonder Amy's into him._

She may have denied it before, but her sister's comment about Topher thinking she was fat _did_ strike a chord in her brain. Not because of the person saying, but because it was said to begin with. She'd done her best to ignore the comment up until now (and she's had practice ignoring others like it recently) but the cruddy feelings all flew back to her at once.

"What do you want?" she asked, already on the defensive. This could easily be a ploy set up by Amy to get him to do something to her. Maybe admit another dark secret about herself or something. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

And though she was wishing for anything but, Topher forced himself into her personal bubble and caused her to back up against another tree. One of his hands pressed up against the tree, effectively blocking her escape. "Why must you always be like that? So hard to get! But, lucky for you, I know how to play this game."

Sammy could feel herself getting nauseous. He actually had the wrong twin, and he didn't even know. He wasn't even looking at her in the eyes! _Is this how all guys act around someone they… think they like? Jesus._

"Topher, back up," she said to him, attempting to wiggle away.

The smug, lecherous smile stayed where it was. "Huh? To which part? The part where I called you gorgeous?"

This was getting nowhere fast. Plus, she swore there was some pizza threatening to come back up. This needed to stop, _now_. "No, I mean _get away from me!_ You've got the wrong twin!"

And then reality crashed around him and he actually _looked_ at her for the first time. He was understandably shocked, with his mouth hanging open and eyes the size of dinner plates. She pointed above her right cheek, where there was nothing but skin, and he pinwheeled away as fast as he could. "Oh God! You're not Amy!"

"No! I'm obviously _not_!" She let out an agitated growl. "What, did you see the blonde hair and red skirt and think there was only one person on the island like this?"

Topher scoffed. "What? No, I didn't! No chance of that! I can tell the difference between you two!"

Sammy was not impressed. "Really? Then what was _that_ all about?"

"She said she was going to the confessional and I wanted to surprise her! Then you came out and, well, I just assumed, I guess!"

A sigh escaped Sammy's lips. "Don't tell me she got lost on the way here." Directions were never her strong suit, and they would especially be bad on this weirdly mapped out island.

Topher shrugged helplessly. "I don't know, I thought she was you."

"I thought you could tell the difference between us?"

He shook his head wildly and groaned. "From the _front_ , I mean! From behind it's anyone's guess, really!"

"Of course it is." She'd probably need to do something about that. It isn't just her demeanor that needed to change, but her appearance as well. All this time she had been dressing similar to Amy because her sister demanded it. Why was this only becoming apparent now?

"Uh, hey, don't tell your sister about this?" Topher asked awkwardly.

 _Yep. Slimy to the core._ She wasn't going to be like Amy and throw him under the bus though, even if her sister _was_ involved. "I won't, no. But I'm not so sure about everyone else. There are tons of cameras recording us, I doubt this didn't go unnoticed."

He started looking around nervously, his eyes seemingly catching something nearby. "That is… _very_ true."

And snake as he was, Sammy found herself starting to feel bad for him. _Stupid conscience. Though I guess that's why I'm the nice twin._ "Listen, I know my sister better than anyone, and, uh, you might want to come up with an apology. Like, a decent one."

There was a new fear in his eye. Something told her that Amy was the head of this… 'relationship', or whatever it was. Was it actually a relationship though? They didn't really act like they were in one. From what Sammy could remember they didn't even so much as look at each other today, and eye contact was something every healthy relationship needed. So she really didn't know _what_ this was.

"You… you think so?" he asked.

"Oh yeah. It's one thing to mistake me for her. It's probably another to try and hit on me _while_ mistaking me for her. She gets rather… agitated when anyone gets us mixed up. Like, every time we enter a new grade, the teachers get… angrily reminded every time it happens."

"That… doesn't sound very good."

"Oh, it's not. They're lucky they're all fast learners."

"Okay, okay… It's cool!" All of a sudden Topher began talking to himself, psyching himself up for the coming confrontation. He began walking off in the opposite direction, where Sammy assumed the Salmon's treehouse was. "You've done this sort of thing before, Toph. And besides, you'll be host one day! This sort of thing is part of the trade!"

Sammy could only watch him go with a shake of her head. What did Amy see in this guy? And also, what did _he_ see in _Amy_? She had no answer for either question.

She decided to stop thinking about it. Instead, she chose to focus on the whole appearance changing thing. And she had an idea for that.

* * *

"Do either of you have a hair tie?"

Both Ella and Sky looked at her in mild surprise, but they both shook their heads.

"My hair's too short to be able to do it up and not look weird," Sky answered. "Plus, no pockets. Sorry."

"Same with me," Ella said. "Sorry about that."

Sammy figured as much. "No, it's okay. I'll have to think of something else then."

The two shared a look. "In regards to what?" asked Sky.

"I'm trying to distance myself from Amy as much as I can _without_ getting all up in her face about it," Sammy explained. "The first thing I thought of was at least changing how I look to make it obvious which one of us is which. At least, that makes sense in my head." She also kind of wanted to keep the confrontation with Topher to herself, so she decided not to bring it up.

"And you need a hair tie for that?"

She nodded and flicked her shoulder-length hair. "I was thinking a ponytail might be the easiest thing to do for now. Especially since we've got no other sets of clothes on the island here."

Ella hummed in agreement. "I can see how that would work! The first step to being your own person is to stop looking like someone else. Right?"

"Yeah!" Sammy agreed. "I mean, I don't want to do anything too extreme. I like how I look, even if there is someone identical to me that I coincidentally hate. I don't want to change too much, just enough that no one mistakes me for Amy anymore. I get enough of that back home, anyway."

"I'm sure," Sky said. "But, I'm sorry to say, I don't think there are any hair ties here."

"I figured," Sammy said with a sigh. "Eh, no big deal. I'll think of something else."

"What's this about hair ties?" came Beardo's voice, as he and Shawn re-entered the camp.

"Sammy wants to put her hair up so she can distance herself from Amy even more," Ella explained, to which she nodded.

Beardo likewise nodded, and hand to his chin in thought.. "Ah, yeah, I can understand that. Lucky for you, I gotcha covered." He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out quite literally several of them.

"I got some too," Shawn said, also drawing out some from his vest.

Sammy stared at the abundance of hair ties in surprise, a countless amount of colors and sizes in the palms of their hands. She sent a glance at the girls. "The guys have like, a _million_ each, and the rest of us have none? How's that possible?" Ella and Sky shrugged helplessly.

"Hey, you know how difficult it is to maintain this?" Beardo asked, floofing his afro with his free hand. "Sometimes it gets in the way when I'm doing stuff, so keeping it held back really helps."

"Here," Shawn then said, and he quickly attached a white one to his fingers and flicked it at her at speeds she didn't think possible.

It struck her square on her forehead and _stung_. "Ow! What the heck, Shawn? That hurt!"

"'Course it did," Shawn said, pocketing the rest. "The main reason I keep them on me. They're an effective method of distracting zombies, so I keep them on my person just in case. Also, my hair gets in my eyes sometimes, so they have their other uses."

"Well, thanks for letting me borrow some of your ammunition," Sammy said in a grumble, picking the hair tie up from where it fell. She shook the dirt off and put her hair up; because it wasn't something she normally did, it took a bit longer than it should've. When she was done, she flicked the ponytail a couple of times before nodding. "Yeah, this oughta be fine."

"You look great," Ella said.

"Yeah, it really suits you, I think," Sky added.

These were compliments she wasn't expecting, and her cheeks reddened from them. "Oh, gosh, thanks guys."

"Just make sure to keep it in check," Shawn said. "Long hair can easily be grabbed by a walker. My advice, cut it to the chin, then you won't have to worry about it at all."

She gave him a deadpan look. _Yep, starting to get frustrating._ "Gee, thanks, Shawn. What would we do without you?"

"Turn undead, that's for sure."

"What about you?" Sky challenged, her leg crossed over the other. "Your hair's decently long. Why don't you get it cut?"

"I do my own hair cutting. No way am I letting anyone get close to me with scissors. And besides, I already said I use hair ties too. Though I put mine in a bun to get it out of the way entirely."

Sammy briefly wondered if she should do that too, then thought a bun would make her look old and decided against it.

"Anyway, I'm going back to the pile, and to get us something for dinner afterward," Shawn continued, turning on his heel. "Anyone want anything specific?"

Everyone made their requests, and Shawn was on his way. Beardo was feeling up to an afternoon food-coma, which once again just left the girls.

After a few moments of silence, Sky stood and jerked her head towards the direction the waterfall was in. "Shall we?"

"Yes, let's shall," Ella replied happily.

Sammy had been waiting for this - she needed to get all of the cold sweat from the Topher encounter off of her.

* * *

"You'd think getting in the water again after a water challenge would be unappealing," Sammy said as they left the lake refreshed. "But OM _G_ did I need that."

"A nice soak in warm water is always good on the bones," Sky said.

"I agree," Ella said. "Especially after a hard day's work, right?"

"You know, it's such a pain to have to do a challenge a day," Sammy grumbled. "Why'd they have to get rid of that whole 'every three days' rule back in season one?"

"My guess is because of budget cuts," Sky offered. "Which also explains the fewer amount of contestants these last few seasons. Get this done as quickly as possible with less people and save as much money as you can."

"Well, putting it like that makes sense. But I still don't like it."

Sky gave her an encouraging pat on the back. "We're five challenges down and we have about… eight left to get through. If we make sure to get the proper rest, we should be fine."

"Hmm." Ella mused, a finger to her lip. "Maybe I'll also take a nap when we get back. It does sound lovely right about now."

Sammy felt herself yawn, and stretched her arms wide. She didn't really do anything to cover her mouth, but at this point she didn't care. "Yeah, you're telling me. I think a nap is deserved at this p-" Her hand brushed her hanging damp hair, and she clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Ugh, seriously? I just put it up and I'm already losing the hair tie?"

"Aw, that sucks," Sky said sympathetically.

"You took it down when we went in the water, didn't you?" Ella asked her.

"I did." With a sigh she turned around. "I don't want to ask Shawn for another one. Give me a second, I'm gonna go look for it."

She took a few steps back, looking at the ground and chastising herself for being so careless. Her eyes briefly glanced up to look where she was going, and she did a double take when she noticed something… very different, to say the least.

The waterfall, the lake, the rocks and foliage that all made up their little paradise of a hideaway from the others…

Had disappeared entirely.

"W-W-What in the-" Sammy blinked, quickly rubbed her eyes, and looked back.

And then just as suddenly, everything was back in its place. The sound of the waterfall was loud and the trees swayed lazily in the wind. As if she hadn't just seen nothing there for a second.

She turned back to Ella and Sky, who were chatting but not looking her way, and back to the waterfall. _It… It was gone for a second, right?! I saw the mountains behind it, and some more forest farther up! It was definitely not there! Right?!_

"Something wrong?" Sky called out to her, probably having seen her staring like an idiot at nothing.

"Oh, uh," she stammered. If she wasn't calling attention to it, then they probably didn't see it, and she'd be made the fool once more if she brought it up. "No, it's all good! Sorry, got, uh, distracted by something!"

She took off at a sprint back to the lake; everything was in its place, exactly where it was when the three of them were here a minute ago. "I'm not going crazy, am I?" Sammy wondered idly to herself. She quickly found the hair tie, put her hair back up, and took one last look at the area.

It was like their own little perfect oasis in the middle of the island. _Perfect_ being the weirdest thing about it. "Just what the hell is going _on_ with this island…?"

With one last suspicious glance and a frustrated sigh, she turned back and ran after the others.


	8. Toss a Coin to Your Monkey

"You know, it's nice of you to come out and help this morning." Sammy pushed aside a tree branch and allowed her partner to duck underneath it. "Usually it's Shawn, or more recently Sky, who forages with me, but it's good to have someone new every now and then."

"For sure," Beardo replied with finger guns. "I've been spending too much time just chilling in the hut and waiting for the food to come to me. And you've been so gung-ho about collecting it yourself, I figured I might as well see what all the fuss was about."

Sammy shrugged and hopped over a couple of bushes. "Foraging was really Shawn's thing starting off, but for some reason he's kinda gone AWOL these last few days, so I've been doing it without him."

"You got any idea why?"

"Mmm… I think it has to do with Jasmine, more than anything else. He starts to freak out more around her nowadays than before."

"Ahh, true. Brother's got it _bad_ ," Beardo said with a sagely nod. "And it's obvious she's got a thing for him, too."

"Oh yes, definitely," Sammy agreed. They entered the foraging area, and Sammy began picking at some low-hanging fruit while telling Beardo what was best to get. A few moments into the picking, Sammy sighed. "I'm just worried that Shawn's obsession is going to make it difficult for them to get together, you know? It can be endearing sometimes, but more often than not it's all he talks about." _And it's slowly starting to get to me, so I don't know how long it'll take Jasmine to get annoyed by it._

Beardo examined a few bushes before answering. "I think you're just getting the brunt end of it. I've hung out with him a bit while he goes through those giant junk piles, and he's a pretty decent person, all things considered. True, zombies make up about like, 70% of his brain matter, but the other 30 is him being an alright kind of guy. He's making sure the rest of us are fine out here on our own, even if he doesn't like to say he's doing it."

Sammy glanced down to the basket in her hand, and thought back. "Yeah, I guess I can see that." He had every opportunity to be the lone wolf that he kept saying he was, but in the end he helped them out of a jam more than once and actively participated in the challenges with gusto. A zombie nut he was, but he was also still human. "Maybe I'm being a bit too hard on him."

"Maybe, but I wouldn't worry about it. If there's something between him and Jasmine, they'll work something out."

"I kinda want to help them all the same. They're my friends, and I've…" She blushed and grinned. "I've never had the chance to play matchmaker before. This could be fun." Sometimes love was weird, like whatever the heck was happening with Topher and her sister, but love could also be beautiful, and she wanted to have front row seats to see it when it happened.

"Yeah? How would that even work when we're here, on this deserted island, in the middle of a game show, with them on separate teams?"

"Uhh…" Admittedly, she hadn't thought that far ahead. "I dunno. Maybe I could set them up on a picnic date or something. There's bound to be a decent enough blanket in the junk pile, right?"

"Would that be good enough though? Neither of them really seem to be picnic-material."

"Who wouldn't love a good outdoors breakfast? Or lunch, or dinner? Besides, Jasmine practically _lives_ outdoors. It would be perfect!" She frowned, eyeing the bundle of blueberries in her hand. "Not sure what to do about food, though. Berries, fruit, and leftover fast food are getting kind of old by this point. And with there being barely any animals or fish around to catch and cook up, there aren't many options."

"Like I said, don't worry about it so much!" Beardo said, his voice just oozing with calm. "Just do what you can to help them out if you want, but don't overthink it. That's what gets me through life."

Sammy snorted at that. "You know, that's some pretty good advice. I'll need to try that out at some point."

There was a lull in the conversation, and Sammy marvelled at just how easy it had become to talk with Beardo. Actually, no, not just him, but all of the others as well. When it was apparent that they weren't going to judge her for being herself, it became so much easier to just talk and not worry about messing up her words. And she knew in this case that applying Beardo's words worked - just don't think about it, have fun, and everything would be okay. It was certainly something she would keep in mind.

"This is as good as any time to ask, but how are you and the songbird doing?" Beardo asked after a bit.

"Oh, really good!" Sammy answered, feeling her smile widen. "Everything's great between us now. We had a good talk yesterday about what happened during the challenge, and if anything, urging her to… ah, finish it helped her more than hurt her. N-Not to say we didn't mess up in the first place by forcing her hand, but still, it worked out in the end."

"That's good," he replied. "Ella doesn't seem like the kind of person to hold a grudge for more than, like, five minutes tops. I figured she'd come around sooner than later."

"Yeah, for sure. She's… really one of a kind, isn't she?"

Beardo snickered and said, "Yeah, you'd definitely be the one to think that, wouldn't you?"

Sammy turned to him with a quirked brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothin', nothin'," he assured, and went back to work.

 _It certainly didn't sound like nothing._ With a shrug, she went back to work as well. After thinking about it a bit more, she decided to bring up what was troubling her. She was hesitant, but given what it was about she felt she should regardless. "Actually, I'm kinda worried."

"About?"

"There's something… wrong with Ella. Well, no, that's not the right way to say it. Something's upsetting her. And she doesn't really want to talk about it. Which, I mean, I totally get, I don't want to pry into her home life if she doesn't want me to, but... "

"But it's not something that you can easily take your mind off of, right?"

"Right! Exactly! And… I deal with anxiety all the time, but that was usually involving just myself. Now that it involves someone else, someone I _care_ for, I'm… I'm scared. Scared that she might… I dunno, be going through something similar to me. And I don't want to just stand around and not do anything if that's the case."

Sammy moved on to another bush as Beardo hummed in thought. "The only thing I can think of to do is to just… ask her about it."

She looked back at him in surprise. "Wait, really? Just like that?"

"By the sounds of it, she's not going to bring it up on her own. And from what I've seen - mostly on TV - people don't get over their issues by keeping quiet about them. If you want to help, you may need to do a bit of digging."

"But I thought you said it's best to wait?"

"Different circumstances. This is outside our control, isn't it? If so, some intervening might need to be done."

She understood him well enough, but was it okay to just straight up do that? To force someone to face their problems if they didn't want to? Sammy had desperately wanted to get rid of Amy, and didn't have to be pressured into going along with it. But if Ella wanted to keep her secrets, why should Sammy force them out into the open?

But the more she thought about it, the more she came to understand the opposite. Another reason why she had been successful at becoming her own person was because of all the support she was given. Ella, Beardo, Shawn, Sky and Jasmine were all there for her when she needed it; they managed to guide her into becoming more confident with herself, and though she was still on the path to overcoming everything, she was certainly feeling much happier and more optimistic than when she first arrived on the island.

What if that was what Ella needed? A shoulder to cry on, an ear to talk to? Ella had been there for Sammy since day one - maybe Sammy needed to be there for Ella now, more than ever.

"You know, you're right," Sammy told Beardo. "I think after the challenge today, I'll try talking to her about it."

"That's what I like to hear," Beardo said with a chuckle. "Go for it, girl. You don't have anything to lose."

"You got it." A pause, and then, "How about you?"

Beardo looked up. "Sorry?"

"I mean, how are you doing? Feels like every time we talk, it's usually about me or someone else. How's _Beardo_ doing today?"

He laughed, and similar to Ella there seemed to be a light musical intonation to it. " _Beardo_ is doing okay, as far as I know. I'm gonna have to get back to you with a more up to date answer, I haven't seen him in a while."

Sammy laughed lightly as she continued the foraging. "Oh… so he's not around? Tell him I said 'Get back to the island and play the game!' next time you see him."

"I'll be sure to pass that along." They both chuckled, and Sammy appreciated that ridiculous jokes like this could be made so easily. "But for real, I'm good. It's been a lot less stressful since we've started winning these last few days. And aside from the constant danger and lack of technology anywhere, this island is actually pretty sweet! I could see myself coming back to a place like this in the future. Uh, you know, without the game show and all that."

"Gosh, I know what you mean," Sammy agreed. "Like, yeah, Total Drama is one of the more stressful things I've ever done, but when we're not in the middle of a challenge and we're not being threatened by the cannon…" She stood up from her bush and allowed her senses to take in everything. Trees towered over her, with only a bit of the morning sun breaking through the leaves; the sound of rushing water a short distance away; the smell of the fresh air, the abundance of flora, the wind rustling the leaves… "It's beautiful here. Like… _seriously_."

Her mind briefly flicked back to the waterfall incident yesterday. _Although I get the feeling that there's something up with this island. I just don't know what._

Unaware of her thoughts, Beardo turned back to her. "Absolutely. It's like paradise here. Now, if only there was a resort and a five-star restaurant, I'd be set for _life_ …"

She was happy that Beardo was happy, but the unease didn't leave her mind.

The two worked in silence after that, and soon Sammy lost herself to her thoughts. Beardo was a good person to talk to - though he tended to keep to himself on his down time, he was a friend, and someone more than willing to give his two cents to the current situations. Sammy was still somewhat surprised that the person who had difficulty opening up to newer people was also really good at giving advice on friendships. Maybe he learned everything from sticking to the back and watching people from afar…

Or maybe it was just from TV, like he insisted. Either worked.

But what he had said earlier about Ella was true - it was twice now that Sammy had noticed her being distant with something, and she was certain that whatever was troubling her, it had to do something with the glove she refused to remove. She didn't know what to expect, and decided not to come up with progressively outlandish ideas, but she knew that she'd be willing to help her out of it no matter what. It was only fair that she returned the favor, after all.

It was weird though. These last few days, her thoughts had begun to cloud over with Ella at the center more often than anything else. Perhaps it was because out of everyone, Sammy felt closest to her? Or maybe her friend had such a positive influence on her that she was just on her mind more often? Both seemed logical enough, but she felt that she still wasn't in the right head-space to be trying to figure this stuff out yet.

She wasn't sure when it happened, but silently working on foraging ended up separating her from Beardo. Sammy was still not used to talking very frequently, and though island life was crazy and wild, she sometimes found herself zoning out more than once when there was not too much on the go. _I guess that's what happens when you don't really have anyone to talk with for most of your life. Your mind just wanders…_

She placed the last of the fruit in her bag, turned around, and nearly collided with her sister.

Sammy gasped loudly, clutched at her basket and heart simultaneously, and then let out a large groan. "Oh, come _on_ ," she said, "when will people stop sneaking up behind me for once? I swear, this has happened more times here in a _week_ than it would've back home."

Rather than reply, Amy stared at her. Particularly, her new hairdo, where most of her bangs had been pulled back by the hair tie. "The hell did you do to your hair?"

"I wanted a new hairstyle to make it obvious which one of us is which," she explained quickly and halfheartedly. "Look, what do you want? Actually, wait, no, why are you still _here_? I would've thought your team would've sent you home after losing to me yesterday."

She couldn't help herself to the jab, but shockingly Amy did not rise to the challenge. Instead she huffed and looked to the side. "Apparently I'm an 'asset' to the team. Unlike that rotten little rodent _Max_. He was annoying from day one, and now he's gone, thank God. Scarlett's actually the one who gave us the idea, if you can believe it."

"Wait, _Scarlett_ wanted him gone?" Sammy found herself asking. "I thought she was friends with Max?"

"Guess not. For whatever reason he stuck around her like a parasite, demanding she do things for him, and she was getting sick of it. She'd been trying to get rid of him since day one, or so she says."

"I… can see where she's coming from. If I was in her shoes, I'd want him gone too. Max didn't seem like the most… pleasant person to be around."

"Yeah," she agreed, and she quietly added, "Especially after what he did to your friend."

And then everything came to a grinding halt when Sammy realized exactly _who_ she was having a semi-civil conversation with. Amy seemed to realize it at the same time, and the sisters stared at each other in quiet shock, neither believing that they weren't currently at each others' throats.

Amy opened her mouth slightly, like she wanted to say something, then closed it just as quickly and clicked her tongue. She put up a stern face, looked Sammy dead in the eye and said, "So. _Why_?"

Sammy blinked, looking around unsuredly. Having to quickly bring her guard up disoriented her thoroughly. "Why… what?"

"Don't be an idiot," she said, causing Sammy to unintentionally flinch _._ "Why didn't you hit me in the final round yesterday? You had the chance, you had the motive, and you certainly had the balls because you did it on our first go. So why didn't you do it in the last one? Do you know how much of a dumbass you made me look, just sitting there?"

The familiar ire rose in her once more. _Leave it to Amy to straight up ruin a chance to be polite to anyone._ "The answer to that is simple. Because I'm _not you_."

Now it was her sister's turn to be confused. "What?"

"I only figured it out when we were fighting, but if I want to get out of your shadow and be my own person, I'm going about it the wrong way. Picking fights, calling you out, that sort of stuff… That's something _you_ would do. You've proven that you're violent and petty, and if _I_ want to prove that I'm not just some spare copy of you, I need to do things my own way." She let out a breath and turned on her heel. "And I think my own way of dealing with you is just to not deal with you at all."

Sammy started to leave, and though she couldn't see it she heard her sister sputtering. "W-Wha- Oh, so that's how it is, huh?" She felt a hand clench her shoulder and she was forcibly turned back around to Amy's livid face. "You put your hair up in a stupid little ponytail, come up with this big speech, and now you think you're all high and mighty? Don't kid yourself, _Spareamy_. This doesn't change the fact that you're still the inferior one between us."

Sammy physically pushed her sister away and groaned loudly. "Just _what_ is your obsession with being better than me anyway?! You've been like this forever! Oh, wait, don't tell me - it's cuz I was _born_ , or because my _hair_ is more blonde than yours, or I fill out the _uniform_ better-"

"Wh- That is a bold faced _lie_ and you know that!"

"-or _whatever_. You know what? At this point, I don't care. I'm done. For real. You want to be the superior twin? Fine, you're the superior twin. Congratulations! But quit dragging me into your dumb little game just so you can inflate your already oversized ego." She spun around once more and stalked off at a faster pace than before.

This marked the first time where Sammy walked away from Amy, and her sister didn't utter a sound.

* * *

"Food time!" Sammy called into the shack, only to find no one there. "Orrr maybe not." She walked back to the unlit campfire and sat down to start dividing the food between everyone's bags. "Ah, well, they'll come running when they're hungry enough."

Her mood had skyrocketed since declaring Amy a non-issue in her life and walking away from her. She felt so _free_ now; before there was always the thought that Amy was just around the corner with an insult at the ready, but now she just… didn't _care_. She was going to forge her own path by her own hands, and there wasn't anything her sister could do to stop her now.

She continued splitting the haul, pulling apart a bunch of bananas and placing each individual one in her friends' bags. She'd save her own for later; she wasn't the biggest fan of them, but they were still nutritious enough that she'd be a fool to pass it up.

Not too long after, Sky and Ella both walked into the area, the former carrying a pail of water and the latter, oddly enough, a single sheet of paper and a chewed-up pen. Both were happily chatting, and waved back at Sammy as she greeted them. "Morning, guys," she called out. "I've almost got the food separated. Shouldn't be too long."

"Oh, awesome, thanks," Sky replied, placing her bucket down. "Where are the others?"

"Beardo and I got split up while we were searching, but I think he'll be back soon. And Shawn…" With a roll of her eyes and a sigh, Sammy said, "Who knows where that guy goes? He'll have to come back here to get his food, I'm not bringing it with me to the challenge."

"No one was expecting you to," Sky told her, sitting on her rock.

She paused. "Oh. Uh, right. Sorry, force of habit, me assuming that sort of stuff, I guess."

"It's fine." There was an odd sort of smile on her face. "Actually… Here, let me take over for you."

"Huh? Are you sure? It's okay, I don't mind doing it myself if it's my decision to do it, y'know?"

"Ah, no, I get that, but…" Sky glanced to her side. "I think someone wants to talk with you."

Ella was gazing at her expectantly, a hopeful look in her eye, but one also mixed with anticipation. With such excitement clearly written on her face, who was Sammy to deny her the opportunity to speak? "Oh! Well, okay then. I'll leave it to you."

She stood and let Sky take over, and cried out slightly when Ella took her hand and dragged her just outside of camp. Ella turned back to her with a grin that was threatening to split her face in two. "Um. Hello!"

Sammy burst out a laugh, and grinned right back. "Hi there. What's up?"

"So…" Ella held out the sheet of paper, though she didn't reveal its contents. "As we both know, I've been forbidden from singing. After we parted yesterday I had been trying to think of ways that I could express myself without using song. I had thought of several different things, but none of them seemed _right_. And then it hit me: what is a poem, but a song lacking music? And so I located some paper and a pen, and got to writing. And the first thing I did was, um…" She breathed in deeply and her cheeks flushed heavily. "I wrote _you_ a poem!"

That… was exactly the _last_ thing Sammy expected her to say.

And, in some parts of her brain, exactly the last thing she _wanted_ to hear.

"I… What? A poem? For _me_? Are… Are you serious?" The last time someone had written her anything - a stupid love poem, written by some jerk a year above her - it ended up being a prank that covered her in the cafeteria's macaroni and cheese special, and left her in tears in the bathroom during class. And now, just like always, her fight or flight instincts were kicking into high-gear, urging her to get out before anything could happen.

But she tried to quell them as best she could. _This is_ Ella _, stupid! What's she going to say to you that'll be bad? She could barely even call Chris a name yesterday. This will be fine._

It was only when she looked back up that she saw what her reaction had wrought. Ella, for all her enthusiasm, almost immediately deflated when it was apparent Sammy wasn't sharing in her eagerness. "Y… Yes, I'm serious. Sh-Should I not be?" Her voice lost the lilt it normally had, and her eyes were becoming downcast.

"Ah!" Sammy vaguely realized that she desperately wanted to see Ella's excited smile again. "No, no no no no! I'm sorry! That's not what I mean! It's incredibly sweet and thoughtful of you to write it for me! It's just I…" She clenched and unclenched her hands, wondering if she should even bring this up, but chose to go through with it anyway. "I've been burned by stuff like this before, and, I dunno, my mind went to places I'd rather it didn't. I'm still working on that. But I'm sure whatever you wrote is kind and supportive and everything that just screams warm and fuzzy, just like you are!"

The second Sammy brought up her past experiences with the written word, Ella looked horrified at her own work. It appeared that Sammy's explanation had backfired, as Ella stared down at her work in shame. "Maybe…" she said after far too long, "Maybe it's for the best if I…" Her hands went to the top center of the page.

"Wait, no!" Sammy grasped those hands and kept them there, keeping them from tearing the sheet. "No, I want to hear what you wrote! Don't rip it up because of something that happened to me in the past. I want to move on from it, so instead of running from stuff like that, I need to face it all head on. And besides, I know I can trust you. So please," she looked into her eyes and gave her the best pleading look she could, "read your poem for me."

There was a part of her explanation that caused Ella to go wide eyed for a moment. "You need to face it… head on…"

"Yes!" Thinking back to her conversation with Beardo earlier, Sammy said, "If you keep bottling stuff up, then it's just going to get worse. You know? So for stuff like this, it's best to not ignore it."

The only hint of acknowledgement Ella gave was a slight nod to her head, and that she seemed to turn even more red than she already was. Whatever revelations were going on inside her head stayed there, but when it was obvious she wasn't going to do anything rash Sammy took her hands away. Ella didn't rip up the sheet, but she still looked uncomfortable. "I had no idea."

"And you wouldn't have," Sammy told her. "I never mentioned it." _There's… a lot of stuff like this I've never mentioned._ "But it's okay. I'd _love_ to hear what you have to say, Ella."

Her gaze flew up to Sammy's, and the two looked in each other's eyes for a moment. It felt like Ella was searching to make sure she was telling the truth. When she found the answer, her smile returned, though it wasn't as wide as before. "Well… alright. As long as you're okay with it."

"Of course!" Sammy said exuberantly. "I've never really, like, sat down to listen to poetry before, but since it's _you_ who wrote it, I know it's going to be _awesome_."

This made Ella's smile return in full force. "Okay." They both sat on the grass, and Ella cleared her throat lightly. "I, ah, haven't decided on a title for this yet."

"That's okay," Sammy reassured her. "It doesn't change what you wrote."

She nodded, looked back to the sheet, and opened her mouth to start-

-only to be cut off by the _infuriatingly_ loud air horn coming from the speakers.

" _Hey teamsI_ " Chris shouted, almost tauntingly. "Stop what you're doing and meet in the clearing, cuz it's time for me to laugh at your pain! Also, there'll be a challenge. Just FYI. Hugs and kisses!"

He went radio silent just as fast as he blew his horn, and Sammy noticed that there was a speaker hanging from a tree not too far away. "Ugh, no wonder that was so loud. I'm sorry, Ella, but maybe-"

Sammy stopped short and stared. Since they landed on the island, this was perhaps the first time Sammy had seen Ella actually _angry_.

"Of course he calls us out just as I'm about to start," she was muttering. Her hands were gripping the paper rather dangerously, causing it to crinkle. "I bet it was on purpose, too, that… that little…"

"Ella?"

She immediately perked up, the frown and furrow in her brow vanishing entirely. "Oh! Oh no. I'm, uh-"

"Shh, sh sh." Once more, she clasped her friends hands to try and loosen up the page. "It's fine, it's okay. There's always after the challenge, right?"

With a sigh and a nod, Ella stood up. "I suppose you're right. This is… incredibly frustrating, though, I must admit."

"You're not wrong about that." Sammy followed after her back into camp, where Sky was finishing up dumping the blueberries into the bags. "How's the sorting going?" she asked her.

"Ran out of time," Sky said, and laid the basket to the side. "It's probably not even, but it'll be fine. We'll walk and eat. Any sign of the guys?" Both Sammy and Ella shook their heads. "Then I guess we're taking food with us."

"Beardo should have his own food," Sammy said. "Shawn, though…"

"Right. So just in case, we'll still take it."

"Sure."

As the two talked, Ella had started towards the hut and entered without a word. It didn't go unnoticed by Sky. "So, did she say what she wanted to say?"

Sammy had a feeling Sky knew what Ella had wanted, but she could only shake her head sadly. "Never got a chance. We're pretty sure Chris interrupted us on purpose."

Sky frowned. "Okay, that's pretty low."

"It was. But he's gone lower before."

Ella exited the shack, this time lacking anything in her hands. "I put it aside for the time being," she answered Sammy's unasked question. "Shall we get going?"

Sammy accepted her bag from Sky and nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

"This island is _weird_ ," Jasmine was saying as the girls entered the clearing. "Those trees weren't there last time we gathered here. And that mountain was _definitely_ on the other side of the horizon, not where it is now. What the heck is going on?"

"Eh. You're probably just a few koalas short of a swarm," Chris said dismissively.

"What? A swarm of-" Jasmine shook her head. "No, really, there's something seriously off about this place. I don't mean to sound like I'm boasting but I've got a general knack for finding my way around wild areas like this. But unlike anywhere else I've been before, I just can _not_ get my bearings on this island. It's like… it's like it's constantly changing!"

"Hey, I've been feeling that too!" Sammy said as she and her team sat on their log. "Like, the confessional is almost always in a different spot every time I go to it, and yesterday I swear a waterfall just disappeared and reappeared in the blink of an eye! It's scary sometimes."

"See?! I'm not the only one noticing this!"

"I can 100% guarantee that this island is in complete working order," Chris told them, albeit rather vaguely. "Now, end of discussion! Maskwak, where's the rest of your team? You're two players short."

"That's… a good question," Sky answered him tentatively.

"Well, if they're not here in the next ten minutes, they can consider themselves willing volunteers for the cannon. Additionally, should Maskwak lose today's challenge, you guys still have to vote someone out, so that'd be _three_ people going home tonight." The trio of girls looked at each other uneasily. "So let's hope those two find their way here soon, capiche?"

With how tense the air was, no one was willing to talk too loudly to each other. Topher insisted on bugging Chris and there were a few hushed whispers between Sammy and her friends as they continued to eat, but otherwise everyone kept to themselves. Possibly for the first time in her life, Amy wasn't sitting like she was the reigning queen - instead she seemed lost in her thoughts, and barely sent a glance Sammy's way the entire time. Not that she would complain about that, of course.

That said, however, there was someone else who was earning Sammy's glares. In all of the hubbub from yesterday, it failed to dawn on Sammy that, while Max was still at fault for what had happened to Ella and had gotten what he deserved, _Scarlett_ had also assisted in that matter yet received no comeuppance. The shock of seeing Ella electrocuted and being forced to dive in after her had caused her to forget that the brainiac in a bun was just as complicit as the grey and purple garden gnome.

Scarlett was looking rather self-satisfied at the moment, no doubt savoring Max's elimination from last night. She was mostly keeping to herself, but when she looked up and locked eyes with Sammy, she merely gave her a quirked brow and looked away again. That made Sammy only more agitated. _It's almost like… she doesn't care. I thought Scarlett was pretty okay, but if she's on the level of hurting other people like that then there's no way she's a nice person._

Unfortunately, there wasn't anything Sammy could do about it at the moment, and so she resigned herself to waiting for the rest of her team. About four minutes in, Beardo arrived on the scene, rather out of breath. "I'm here! Sorry for the wait," he said as he sat down. He quickly started working through his basket of food.

"Have you seen Shawn?" Sky asked him. She was starting to grow antsy with the waiting.

Beardo nearly choked on his apple. "Oh. Uh. Nope. Was just me the whole time."

 _That seems awfully suspicious_. Despite that, no one bothered to ask him about it.

At the nine minute mark, Shawn finally showed up. Unlike Beardo dashing into the clearing, Shawn scuttled in with his head dipped and a few twigs sticking out of his hat.

"Where have you been?!" Sky nearly shouted. She had been tapping both her foot and her finger in agitation the whole time. "We could've been down two people if you were a minute later!"

"Uhh…" He grinned nervously, and Sammy briefly saw his eyes flicker towards the Salmons. "I had… some errands to run?"

" _Errands_?" she asked in disbelief. "We're on a deserted island, in the middle of a game show! What could you have _possibly_ -"

"Alright, the time for talking is over!" Chris declared, effectively shutting the two of them up. "Now that everyone's here, we're gonna start, so sit down!" Shawn quickly did so, and though Sky followed him, her glare never left her face. Ignoring them, Chris went on. "Today's challenge is called 'Snack Attack.'" He gestured to the vending machine on his right. When they arrived earlier, Sammy had briefly wondered how it was lit up and operating in the center of the field, but chose to just go along with it. "This vending machine only takes gold coins. The first team to get their gold coins into the machine will win not only the challenge, but also a light snack to go with lunch. Sounds easy, doesn't it?"

"Well…" Beardo started.

" _Wrong!_ " Chris cut him off. He snapped his fingers in his assistant's direction. "Chef? If you would?"

With a gruff harumph, Chef opened the lid to a box next to the vending machine, and out popped two small monkeys, practically identical save for the different colored collars around their necks.

"The coins are gonna be held by Alphonse and Betty here," continued the host. He tossed two gold coins towards the monkeys, who effortlessly snatched them out of the air. "Who will now proceed to run away."

And run away they did, out of the clearing and into the woods. "Ah! Don't let them get away!" Sky shouted, bolting to her feet as everyone else did the same.

"Whoa! Nobody move!" Chris instructed. "The monkeys get a one minute head start, and _then_ you can go after them."

"Which one belongs to which team?" Jasmine asked him as everyone sat back down again.

"Kinosewak gets the monkey in the blue collar, and Maskwak the one in the pink." He pressed a button on his watch. "In 60 seconds, you're all free to high-tail it after them. Use this time wisely. Or not. Up to you."

Sky quickly urged everyone to huddle up around her. "That monkey could be anywhere by the time a minute's up!" she whispered angrily, slamming her fists on her knees.

"And I'd bet anything that Jasmine's just as skilled a tracker as she is a navigator," Sammy said. "So we might be at a disadvantage here."

Beardo hummed into his hand. "Shawn, you obviously know the signs of when a zombie's around," he said to him all of a sudden. "Think you can use that to find us a chimp?"

"Uhh, first, zombies and monkeys are very, _very_ different," Shawn explained, completely perplexed by the question. "Second, I don't use those skills to track zombies, I use them to get _away_. That's outside my expertise."

"It's the best that we got though," Sky said. "We'll just have to rely on that."

"Is there any way we could possibly bring the monkey to us?" Ella asked. "It'd make it easier, that's for sure. Like, some leftover fruit or-"

Sammy then remembered her breakfast bag, and facepalmed. "Oh my _God_."

"What's wrong?" Ella asked.

Sammy reached into her bag and pulled out the banana she had yet to eat. "I… was putting off eating this since I'm not a big fan of them, but I think we have an alternate use for this now. What on earth are the chances?"

Sky's mood immediately brightened. "I think we have a miracle on our hands. We might just have a shot at this!"

"And you can go after your monkeys…" Chris said, his air horn at the ready as he drew out his sentences. "Right… about… _now!_ "

The five of them took off at a sprint, Sky and Shawn easily overtaking them but not running off ahead so as to keep everyone together. The Salmons were hot on their trail, but after a few moments of running they ran off in a separate direction, leaving the Bears on their own.

"So, how do we find a monkey in an entire forest?" Beardo asked. "I'm guessing she's not just gonna pop out of a tree if we ask nicely."

"It's subtle, but I can see bent grass and broken twigs on the ground," Shawn explained, pointing at something below them that Sammy couldn't make out. "And they're going _away_ from the clearing. I'd say we've got our mark."

"Nice!" Beardo exclaimed. "Told ya tracking them would be a cinch for you!" Shawn merely grunted in response.

"What if it's the Salmons' monkey?" Ella asked. "Chris didn't say anything about us taking the other team's coin."

"Hey, maybe we can hide it away so they can't find it," Beardo offered. "Like, I dunno, stuff it in a tree or something!"

"That… seems rather extreme," Ella replied. With a troubled look, she continued, "But… if the need arises…"

"Uhh, let's maybe talk about that _after_ we figure out which monkey it is," Sky said. "C'mon, we should keep going. Shawn, lead the way!"

He did so, taking them past several trees and bushes. Shawn urged them to remain quiet, lest they scare the monkey away before they got close enough to nab it. After another five minutes of silently stepping through the wilderness, they all came to an opening where a handful of large rocks sat in the middle of it. On top of the middle rock sat the monkey, eyeing the gold coin in its hand and making appropriate monkey noises. It turned its body ever so slightly, and managed to reveal the pink collar around its neck.

"There she is!" Sammy whispered. She stood from the bushes without taking her eyes off of the animal, and at the same time reached into her bag. "Okay, I'm gonna try to trade the banana for the coin. Wish me-" Even that little bit of movement was enough for the monkey to take notice of her. Thankfully it didn't run away, but it did start hissing and screeching loudly in her direction. "-luck. Uh, anyone know how to calm a monkey down? I'd rather not go out there and risk having my face scratched off."

"I'd sing, but we know how that would end," Ella said dejectedly. Then she turned to Beardo. "Perhaps you could imitate her? You might be able to converse with her!"

He tapped his chin in thought. "That idea's so crazy, it might just work. Alright, lemme at 'er!" He pushed his way through the bushes and cleared his throat, and began to make noises so similar to a monkey that Sammy briefly thought the other one had shown up. Their monkey - Betty, she recalled Chris calling her - stopped screeching and tilted her head to the side curiously. Beardo kept making noises, waving his hands about like a monkey himself, and Betty followed suit with a laugh to her cries. _He's doing it!_ Sammy pumped the air in excitement. _We'll have this won in no time at all!_

But luck was not with them, it seemed. Something in Beardo's mimicry caused Betty to tense and go right back to screeching angrily. She bent to the ground and started throwing rocks at Beardo, and in turn everyone behind him. They all yelped and scattered, hiding behind trees and bushes.

"What did you say?!" Shawn shouted, flinching as several rocks hit the tree he was behind.

"I don't know!" Beardo yelled back. "I was just making noises! I don't speak fluent monkey!"

"Whatever it was, I think you may have offended her!" Ella said. "You should apologize to her, you know!"

"What?! No way!" Beardo shook his head rapidly. "What if I just say something worse?!"

The rocks stopped raining all of a sudden, and Sky dared to peak her head out. "She's on the move!" she cried, and raced out of cover. "Let's go! Hurry!"

Everyone scrambled after her farther into the forest. This time around they had a clear view of Betty as she was hopping from branch to branch, but after a while it was obvious she was getting progressively farther away.

"Sky, you keep up with her!" Sammy called out to the athlete. "We'll catch up when we can!"

"Right, okay! I'll shout if I get too far ahead!" Sky called back, and with a little extra effort took off in front of them and kept pace with Betty. It wasn't long before the two of them were out of sight, but Shawn managed to keep track of their general direction - being a human, Sky left a lot more tracks than a monkey.

Soon enough, they managed to catch up to them. Betty had chosen to take a rest next to a river, and Sky was only a few paces away from her, ready to bolt again if need be. The rest of the Bears stopped just behind her, some more out of breath than others, and they began whispering amongst themselves a plan.

"Maybe we should avoid angering her this time," Shawn said.

"No objections on that," Beardo agreed.

"Sammy, go give her the banana and try to get the coin," Sky said.

"Okay." Sammy inched her way in front of the others, and quickly took the banana out of the bag. She held it towards Betty, who stopped her chittering and stared at it like a little kid walking past a candy store. Her hollers turned excited and she started jumping up and down on the rock. Figuring this was a good start, Sammy made her way to the monkey. When Betty attempted to reach for the banana, Sammy quickly pulled it back. "Uh-uh," she said with a shake of her finger. She pointed to Betty's hand where the coin was still located. "Give me the coin first. _Then_ you get the banana."

Miraculously, somehow, the monkey understood what she said, and Betty squeaked and held up the coin to her. With a happy gasp, Sammy gave Betty the banana as she took the coin from her. She held it up to the sky triumphantly and it glinted off of the light of the sun. "I did it! I got the coin!"

Everyone whooped and hollered and ran out to congratulate her. There was no understating the feeling of joy Sammy felt coursing through her - two times in a row it was now that she had been able to win the game for her team. If this kept up they'd be riding high to the merge together in no time.

She felt a weight on her arm, and then on her shoulder. It seemed that after straight up devouring her banana, Betty saw fit to climb up and perch herself next to Sammy's head. "Oh! Hey there, little monkey," she said warmly, and she scratched under her chin. Betty enjoyed that, and leaned in closer to her fingers. "Aw, I think she likes that."

"She's adorable!" Ella approached and started giving her head scratches as well. "And so well behaved, surprisingly."

"Okay, we've got the coin," Sky said, and started making her way back towards the trees. "Let's head back before the others get theirs!"

Everyone followed her, and Sammy made to do the same, but she suddenly felt a tugging on her ponytail. It wasn't hard, but it did catch her by surprise. "Whoa! Hey!" Betty was pulling on her hair, probably looking from more scratches, but there wasn't any time for that. Sammy pulled the monkey off her shoulder and held her at arms' length. "You can't be doing that! That's rude!" The monkey chittered restlessly in response. "Hm. Tell you what, if you can sit still for long enough, I'll give you more bananas when we get back. Deal?"

The reaction was immediate, and though the monkey screeched in delight, she also quickly covered her mouth.

"'Atta girl. Thanks!" She looked up at her team, all of whom were watching and waiting for her. "S-Sorry about that. Let's get go-"

And then she noticed the look of _absolute terror_ in their eyes. And the fact that they weren't looking _at_ her, but _past_ her.

Sammy's stomach began churning. "Uh… guys?"

And then she heard the heavy breathing and smelled and felt the warm, foul breath from behind her, and her stomach dropped entirely.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned her head around, and came face to face with a wall of fur. Looking up confirmed her fears - somehow, a gargantuan bear had snuck up behind her, and was looking at her with its dark, piercing eyes.

 _Huh,_ said the back of her mind, _I_ thought _this challenge was way too easy._

Betty screeched and leapt out of her hands. Sammy, mind in a whirl, decided the best course of action was to try and run away _really fast_. But against a bear _that_ tall, it was a stupid idea to even consider. Before she even fully turned around the bear's arms shot out at her and wrapped her in quite literally a bear hug.

Her body started moving on its own - she attempted to push out of the bear's grasp, but its grip was like iron; she tried kicking it, but that barely did a thing. It's arms were wrapped tightly around her, and her own arms were pinned to her sides. It hadn't tried to eat her yet, thank God, but who knew how long it would take before it decided to feast.

" _Sammy!_ " everyone shouted in shock. Despite that, no one moved to help, unsure of what to do. Sky took a single step forward and the bear growled in her direction.

Sammy had to force herself not to vomit when she felt its saliva land on her head and drip down her back. " _Gross gross gross gross gross-_ "

"What do we do?!" Ella was nearly hysterical with fright - her hands were clutching at her hair and her breathing had quickened drastically. " _What do we do?!_ "

"The first thing we need to do is _calm down!_ " Sky instructed, though she didn't sound calm herself. "We have to take stock of the situation and figure out what we can do!"

"You might want to do that fast!" Shawn said. "There's no telling what this bear's thinking!"

Sammy's own breathing was heightening, her anxiety spiking through the roof. She was trying desperately to break free, but as a young girl weighing no more than 130 pounds she absolutely was _not_ winning a strength contest against a grizzly bear. She felt water stain her face, and soon realized it wasn't the spit of the bear, but her own tears. "Guys, guys, I don't wanna die! Please, please help me, _please!_ " she was saying, her voice sounding distant and just as panicked as she felt.

"M-M-Maybe we can distract it somehow?!" Beardo suggested. "And pull her away when it ain't looking?!"

"What are we gonna do, throw a rock at it?!" Shawn asked, throwing his hands to the air. "That'll just anger it more!"

"Maybe we can calm it down," Sky thought aloud, and immediately turned to Ella. "Are you able to sing?"

"I- what?" Now that she had something to focus on, Ella's panic died down. "But I can't! Chris said I'd get disqualified and sent home if I sing!"

"Who cares?! This is _literally_ life and death here right now!" Shawn told her.

Sammy was terrified and her mind a disorganized mess - but the thought of Ella being forced to leave prematurely set everything back in motion immediately. " _No!_ " she shouted at them. "Ella, you don't have to sing!"

"What?" she replied.

"But that's the only thing that can calm the bear down!" Sky told her.

"Then think of another way!" She wasn't sure if it was her nerves or if the situation was making her that way, but Sammy was absolutely determined to not let Ella sing. "I don't want her to leave because of me!"

"You have _lost_ your marbles!" Shawn shouted at her. "You're about to get eaten and you're worried about someone getting eliminated? Priorities, sister!"

"My priorities aren't the issue at the moment, thanks!"

"Well, what else can we do?!" Sky asked.

"I-I don't know!" The bear grumbled lowly and its arms tightened around her. She thought she could feel its claws digging into her exposed sides. "Whatever you decide, do it quick!"

"If I need to, I'll sing," Ella said, entirely hesitant but stepping up to the plate.

"What?! Ella, please, no!" Sammy tried again.

"No, Sammy, it's okay," she said as soothingly as she could given the situation. "I care more about you and your well-being than my placement here. I'll save you, just like you saved me yesterday."

Sammy couldn't think of a response - if she was going to ignore her, then what else could she do? Chris would know immediately the moment she sang, thanks to all the cameras around, so as soon as she started the first note she'd be as good as gone. Sure, it had only been about a week so far, but Ella was by far her closest friend not just on the island, but in her whole _life_ , and to see her go for something out of her control was just… heartbreaking.

She felt the tears start fresh again in her eyes, though this time for an entirely different reason.

She stepped forward, hands clasped together, and stared the bear down with her own tranquil intensity. "Let my friend _go,_ " she said to it, and sucked in air to begin singing.

But before Ella could utter the first sound, Beardo slapped his hand over her mouth.

"Wait, I've got an idea!" he declared.

Even in her panic, Sammy sighed in relief.

"What?" asked everyone else, though Ella's voice was muffled.

"We don't need to calm it," he answered. "We'll _scare_ it!"

"And just how are we gonna do _that_?" Shawn asked.

"Shawn, you get on my shoulders," he said as he pointed to them. "Then Sky, you get on _his_." They both looked doubtful, but Beardo wasn't wasting any time. "Just trust me on this!"

Shawn and Sky shared a look, but did as he instructed. The three-person human tower was wobbly, but Beardo's girth managed to find its balance after a second. With both Shawn and Sky on his shoulders, the tower actually ended up being taller than the bear on its hind legs. "Now, _roar_ as loud as you can!"

They finally got the plan, and without a second thought the three of them howled at the bear. Sky and Shawn, obviously, sounded like themselves, but Beardo managed to amplify his imitation of a bear roar to such a degree that the leaves on the trees seemed to tremble. _Or maybe that's just me shaking in fear._

However improbable it seemed, in the end it still worked. The bear whined and backed up, finally letting go of Sammy and allowing her to dash forward into Ella's arms. The three continued to scream at it and advanced towards it, and finally the bear took off across the river and into the forest, leaving them in peace once more.

Sammy sobbed into Ella's shoulder, hugging her tightly as if the bear would come back and grab her again. "Thank you, thank you so much," she was saying ad nauseum, and mostly unconsciously.

Ella was stroking her hair, not caring that the bear slobber still in it was getting on her gloves. "It's okay," she was saying, "you're safe now. Nothing's going to hurt you anymore."

Sky and Shawn hopped off of Beardo's shoulders and circled around them. Thankfully they had the sense not to get too close - the last thing Sammy needed was to feel trapped again. "Are you sure you're okay?" Sky bent down and inhaled sharply. "You're injured."

Sammy glanced at the sides of her stomach, where her cheerleader uniform failed to cover, and saw a few long scratches going from front to back. They weren't bleeding, thankfully, but a quick look to the other side showed that there were a few more there too. "Oh," she said, voice still quivering. "That's not good."

"You're lucky it's not a deep wound," Shawn observed. "If it had punctured the skin, it had the chance for infection." He rubbed his chin in thought. "It's weird, though. You'd think a bear that size would've put more effort behind scratching its prey."

"I'd really rather _not_ think about that right now, thank you very much," Sammy said. She turned to Beardo and offered the best smile she could, though it was still shaky. "For real, though, thank you Beardo. I owe you one."

With the bear gone, he was a lot more calmer, as was everyone else. "Heh, that's two now," he said with a nod.

"Two?" Sammy asked. "Oh, right, the balloon challenge! I had forgotten about that."

"Lucky for you, I hadn't."

"How'd you know to scream at the bear like that?" Sky asked. "I wouldn't have _ever_ considered that."

Beardo shrugged. "Saw it on TV once."

Despite herself, Sammy barked out a laugh. "That is _such_ a Beardo answer."

"Oh, uh, not to speed things along," Shawn said as he fidgeted on the spot, "but where's the coin? We're still on the clock."

In the chaos, Sammy had completely forgotten about it. She held out her hand, having been clenched this entire time, and dropped the coin into Shawn's open palm. "Right here. I think I'm gonna keep sitting down for a bit before I go anywhere, if that's okay with everyone."

"That's fair," Sky said. "We'll go on ahead, and you and Ella can catch up when you're able to."

Sammy and Ella nodded, and Sky and Shawn took off out of the area in a sprint. Beardo followed suit, though nowhere near as fast.

The girls stayed like that for a moment, Sammy trying to regain her breath, Ella rubbing her back to soothe her. With the adrenaline fading, the scratch marks on her sides began stinging, though she had certainly felt worse in her life.

Once she had finally regained her breath, Sammy slowly stood up and shook herself loose. "That took at _least_ 10 years off my lifespan, I swear," she muttered.

Ella smiled warmly. "At least the only things you have to show for this are a few scratch marks."

"Yeah," Sammy said. _And whatever mental scars this is bound to give me._ Out loud, she said, "Pretty unlucky to have a run in with a bear here. Or… well, another bear. A regular bear. I, uh, really hope it doesn't happen again."

"Yes, hopefully. I'm just so thankful you're okay!"

"Me too." One thing was troubling her, however. "Although… Why were you so insistent on singing to help me? You know what would've happened."

Ella's relieved smile faltered ever so slightly. "I'm… very aware, yes. But I wasn't about to let my friend get hurt, or worse, and not do anything about it. I would've gladly given up my chances at winning if it meant you'd be able to walk out of here on your own terms."

She was looking at Sammy with such resolution that Sammy didn't doubt for a second she would've done it a dozen times over. "Okay, that's fair… But I also wouldn't want to see _my_ friend be forced off the island when she didn't need to be." She realized how aggressive that sounded, and held up her hands quickly. "I mean, please don't get me wrong, I am _so_ thankful and happy you'd be willing to do that for me… But you didn't need to risk sacrificing yourself to save me. I got out okay regardless, right? So you don't have to-"

"Samantha."

Sammy's mouth slammed shut.

Ella took her hands in hers, and rubbed her thumbs over them. Despite the gentleness, there was an intensity in her eyes, the same that she had when she stared down the bear. "You are my friend. You were in danger. And this is only a game show. The money doesn't matter to me as much as you do. No human life is worth a price, _especially_ yours. So yes, I am _very_ much willing to risk my chances at winning for you. And I will do so as many times as I need to. Do you understand?"

The soft smile, the slight tilt to her head, the seriousness but lightness in her voice… The fact that she was so determined to be there for Sammy, that she was willing to forgo one million dollars to save _her_ butt, of all people… That she was so kind, thoughtful, happy yet able to understand her shortcomings and work towards fixing them…

All of these thoughts culminated into one easy, straightforward sentence in her mind.

_I love this girl._

It took a few moments for the thought to register, but when it did Sammy's entire face _instantaneously_ turned as red as blood. Her heart started beating as fast as it did with the bear, and she could feel her palms begin to sweat. She didn't dare take her hands away from Ella's though - they were comforting, and comfort was something she desperately needed.

She realized that _maybe_ she should reply to her. "I, uh." She swallowed hard. "Yes. Yes, I completely understand. And… You know I'm willing to do the same for you, too, right? You're… You mean a lot to me."

Her flustered mind was working overtime. _Was that too forward? Did it sound weird? It sounded weird to_ me _, I've never said anything remotely like that to anyone before… God, can she feel the sweat through her gloves? My cheeks are so hot it's so obvious I'm blushing._ Part of her just wanted to run away and never look back, so alien this feeling was, but another part of her was forcing her to stay. _She doesn't care that I'm a broken mess or unsure of stuff, she likes me for who I am. She's, like… perfect._

Ella's smile didn't tell Sammy if she felt uncomfortable with her saying that or not. "Then let's be there for one another. What do you say?"

"I…" It wasn't something she dwelled on for too long. "I'd like that."

She let out a breath and squeezed her hands tighter. "That's just what I was hoping to hear."

It wasn't exactly the promise of an alliance - given how everyone on her team was a dear friend to her, an alliance didn't make too much sense right now. But it was a promise between them that they'd be there for each other, no matter how sappy it sounded. To have someone personally help her when she was down was something Sammy had been desperate for her entire life, and now that she finally had it, she couldn't contain the grin widening on her face.

It was a wonderful and heartfelt moment, one that was completely foreign to Sammy, but she decided that it was a good one and that she wanted to stay like this for at least another little while.

And she probably would have, too, were it not for Betty suddenly leaping onto Ella's head.

Sammy yelped and darted backwards, nearly tripping over herself in the process. "Oh, come _on_ ," she groaned, hand over her heart.

"Oh, goodness," Ella said in surprise. "I had forgotten you were here."

"Yeah, me, too," Sammy said. She gave Betty a glare as the monkey leaped off of Ella's head and onto the ground. "I'm guessing she still wants her bananas." The screech that came from Betty confirmed that, not that it did anything to lighten Sammy's glare.

"Then how about we get going?" Ella asked. "The others should be back to the clearing by now anyway."

Sammy nodded. "Yeah. Hopefully we can make it there before-"

The speakers kicked in once more, cutting Sammy off. "This just in!" came Chris's voice over the speakers, and both girls visibly tensed. "You're not gonna believe this: Team Kinosewak have won the challenge!"

The pit in Sammy's stomach came back in full force, and she shared a mortified look with Ella. "Wait… We… We _lost_?"

Chris continued, having not heard. "Which means, you guessed it, the Maskwaks lose!" Or maybe he did and he was rubbing salt on the wound. "Get ready to send someone home tonight, guys! I know you're all excited for it!"

The feed cut off, leaving Sammy and Ella to themselves and thinking over what exactly that meant. Once again, they were going to have to remove someone from their team. And now that she had time to get to know everyone else, the decision was going to be even more painful and distressing. "I… I don't want to have to do this. Not again."

Ella's mouth formed a thin line, and she wrapped her arms around herself in comfort. "Neither do I… Who on earth are we expected to vote for? I wouldn't want anyone to leave…"

"How did we even lose, anyway?" Sammy asked. "I thought we were pretty quick to get the coin…"

"Perhaps the Salmons were just faster. Or…"

"Or?"

Ella, looking uncomfortable, continued. "Well, there's four Salmons. And currently, only three Bears that were heading back to the machine…"

"So… So they may have gotten overwhelmed? Because we weren't there?" If that was the case, that was probably the _worst_ outcome that could've happened.

"That's just a theory. It could be any number of reasons."

"I… I guess so."

They stood silently for another while. Betty was making quiet noises, looking between them curiously. Eventually, Sammy shook her head and took Ella's hand once more. "C'mon. We should regroup and see what the others have to say."

She nodded and said, "Y-You're right." She didn't take her hand away.

They started back in the direction Sky and the others had left, and had just reached the edge of the clearing when Ella stopped and looked back. Sammy did the same, and saw that Betty had grabbed a hold of Ella's right hand and was pulling on it. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want to walk with us?" she asked the monkey.

Betty hollered once, took Ella's hand in both of hers, and pulled again.

"Wow, she's feisty," Ella said, a giggle in her voice. "Come now, you don't have to be so needy! We'll go back to camp and get you your bananas and-"

Betty pulled once more, and Ella's glove began slipping off.

Ella gasped sharply, tore her hand from Sammy's and grabbed a hold of it to keep it in place. "N-No! No no _no_! Stop, please! _Let go!_ "

What resulted was essentially a tug-of-war between Ella and Betty. But thanks to being caught off guard, and perhaps because of her overall lack of muscles, it was a losing battle on Ella's end. Her mind finally catching up to her, Sammy realized this was something Ella did _not_ want, and so she quickly rushed to her other side and attempted to grab the glove to keep it on.

But then Betty won, and Ella's arm flew back right into Sammy's face, free of its constraints.

And then she saw them.

Scars.

Several of them, from the edge of Ella's wrist to about halfway down the underside of her arm.

Some were small and jagged.

Others long, thin and precise.

The majority were healed over.

A few of them, however, looked _fresh_.

The arm wasn't completely covered, but there were enough for it to be obvious that almost none of these were accidents.

Sammy forgot to breathe for a moment. Questions raced through her mind, blurred together to form nothing coherent. Even after Ella screamed and did her best to cover her arm with her body, Sammy merely stared at where she had been looking at the time. She tried to process what she saw, but the only thing her thoughts were doing was asking _Why?_

It was only when her friend's ragged breath and panicked whimpering broke through her eardrums did Sammy act. Without looking at her, Sammy attempted to leap for Betty, who was unconcerned with Ella's plight and staring at the glove curiously. "Give it back!" Sammy shouted, diving to the ground, but the monkey had the better reflexes and jumped away just in time. With the glove in her hands, Betty leapt for a tree and hid in its leaves, and by the sounds of it she was hopping away from branch to branch.

Sammy was just about to give chase when the thought of leaving Ella alone stopped her in her tracks. She turned back to her friend, who was on her knees and hunched over herself, trying to hide the arm. Her eyes were wide and staring at nothing, almost like she were watching memories unfold in the back of her mind. It was a look that was reminding Sammy far too much of the pain Ella went through yesterday. She clearly did not want the arm exposed, and if it was causing her to act this way then covering it up was the number one goal here.

But there _wasn't_ anything to cover it with. No tree leaves large enough to hide everything, and Sammy wasn't about to slather her friend's arm in dirt. The only thing she could think of was-

Without another thought Sammy pulled off the top of her uniform, as grimy and dirty as it was, and shoved it towards Ella. "Here, use this," she said quickly.

Ella glanced upward only for a second before she snatched up the shirt and sloppily wrapped it around her arm. It took a few attempts to keep it from falling off, but finally when she was done her breathing started to return to normal.

Sammy waited for her to say something, anything, out of fear that whatever came out of her own mouth first was the wrong thing. Once she had calmed down completely, Ella shakily stood to her feet, accepting the help Sammy offered. The shirt was haphazardly wrapped around the arm, but Ella had managed to get everything covered. Her eyes were no longer wide and fearful, but they also refused to meet Sammy's.

"I'm… I'm sorry," she said simply.

"Why are you sorry?" Sammy asked her. "That's not something you have to apologize to me about."

"I know, but… still."

Sammy tried to say something, but came up short. Just… what was a person supposed to say to _that_ sort of discovery? _At least now I know why she wanted to keep it hidden. Though I wish I didn't have to find out this way. Lousy, no-good monkey…_

"You're probably looking for an explanation," she suddenly said.

Ella looked _far_ too uncomfortable to want to talk about it, and though Sammy was definitely wondering, if it would make her upset then she'd hold off. "No, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

Her other hand clenched the uniform. "Well, okay, but I feel like I _owe_ you an explanation."

She had that same tone of voice as before, the kind where she meant no nonsense. It was still disorienting hearing it coming from her. "Then… I'll wait until you're ready to talk about it, and then we'll talk. So don't force yourself if you're not."

Ella mulled that over. Coming to a decision, she finally looked back up to Sammy, though the smile was still not there and her eyes were threatened to be flooded by tears. "Okay."

With a nod, Sammy turned back around. "Let's get going."

"Right."

* * *

The walk back was _agonizingly_ awkward. Sammy tried to think of something to say, something that would bring the mood right back up, but the last half an hour had been just a string of chaos and mixed emotions. First, a bear takes her hostage and almost bites her head off. Then, she realizes she probably has feelings for her best friend of barely a week. Then, they lose the challenge and are forced to vote one of their friends off. Then... Ella's arm. Nothing she could think of would be able to lighten their moods, and so she chose to simply keep to herself and hope for the best.

The two of them finally arrived back to the clearing. Obviously, everyone's eyes were drawn to Sammy in her nightshirt, and her uniform wrapped around Ella's arm. Subconsciously she tried to cover herself up, but otherwise she didn't care. It was to help her friend, so she could stand a few stares from the others. She'd dealt with worse.

Sky immediately stood and asked what had happened, concern on every inch of her face. But Chris, uncaring as always, told her to stop talking and sit back down. He re-announced the winners and gave them their food from the vending machine, pointedly ignoring any looks sent his way. As he spoke, Sammy zoned out rather heavily, with several thoughts buzzing through her mind - _so many scars, where did they come from, is she okay, who did this to her, is this what's been troubling her, what's her home life like,_ is she freaking okay - and it wasn't until the Salmons started leaving that she broke out of her trance.

Sky entered her vision as soon as she was able to. "Seriously, what happened? Are you two hurt? Did the bear come back?"

"N-No, we're… fine," Sammy chose to say. Ella had her head dipped and wasn't looking up. "Nothing… um, dangerous, happened. The monkey just stole Ella's glove, is all."

"Oh? Is that all?" She turned to Ella, but didn't seem convinced. "Did it scratch you or something? Should we get someone to take a look at it?"

Her head shot upwards. "No!"

Startled, Sky took a step back. "W-What?"

Ella tensed and crumpled into herself further. "I mean, um… It's nothing to worry about."

"Uhh, you realize you're clutching at your arm something fierce, right?" Beardo asked her. "Not to mention you've got her shirt wrapped around it like you'd do to a big cut. You _sure_ it's nothing to worry about?"

Shawn suddenly gasped and backed up considerably. "D-Did you get bitten?! Are the zombies here?! Argh, I knew I should've stayed in my tree today!"

"Guys, everything is fine!" Sammy tried to tell them, standing up off the log. "Nothing happened in the forest. The bear didn't come back, she didn't get a big cut, and no, she wasn't bitten by a zombie. It's just…"

_What on earth am I supposed to tell them? I can't go throwing Ella under the bus, but they're obviously just as worried as I am… And I don't want to lie to them… Agh, what am I supposed to do?!_

"It's okay," Ella said, startling Sammy out of her thoughts. She stood up as well, but she kept her head down. "It's just… a scar from when I was younger. I don't like to look at it. Bad memories, and all."

Beardo looked from Sammy's nightshirt to the uniform. "Uh, _bad_ seems like an understatement here."

"Beardo, shush," Sky reprimanded, lightly smacking him on the arm. To Ella, she said, "If you're sure there's nothing for us to worry about, then we won't. Just… talk to us if you need anything, okay?"

Ella simply nodded.

Sammy frowned, but remained quiet. _It's… not an outright lie, I guess._

Shawn approached the group, though still kept his distance. "So, uh…"

Sky sighed and nodded. "Yeah."

Sammy figured they were talking about the challenge, and now was a better time to ask than any. She turned back to the others and hesitantly asked, "What happened, anyway? How did we… lose?"

Running a hand through her hair, Sky sighed. "We got here just as the Salmons did. Jasmine wasted no time charging at us and taking down Shawn first. And unfortunately, he was the one who had the coin, so it was just a matter of Scarlett popping _their_ coin in the machine before we had a chance to do anything."

 _Scarlett. Great._ "Couldn't you have stopped her?"

"I tried," Sky admitted. "But Amy came out of nowhere and tripped me up. That was our one chance."

Sammy huffed. "Of course she would."

"Sorry," Beardo said, mostly to Sky. "I could've done more, but I just stood there like a sad clown. I just… Everything was happening so fast, and I…"

"No, it's okay," Sky told him. "Given everything that happened, there probably wasn't much that could be done, anyway."

"I guess."

"So…" Sammy said quietly. "What do we do?"

Sky looked at her, at Ella, and at the boys, and shook her head. "I don't know."

Sammy's question was ultimately pointless. They all knew what was going to happen - one of them was going home tonight. The trouble was, Sammy considered them all friends and had next to no idea who she should vote for. She could always vote for herself, if it came to it, but that option no longer sat well with her. Not that it did before, but back then Sammy had such a negative opinion of herself that the thought came naturally. Now, it left a bad taste in her mouth.

With nothing more to say, the five Bears made their way slowly back to the shack. When they arrived, Shawn relit the fire and everyone helped themselves to the fruit and water. Staring at nothing and lost in thought, Sammy was trying to work out how best to solve this problem.

Someone had to go home, but the answer wasn't coming to her. Definitely not Ella, she didn't deserve that - and with everything that happened that morning, getting her kicked off now would be a huge middle finger directly in her face. Sky was a good person, and though there were times she didn't get the chance to compete due to unfortunate circumstances, she was a strong player and a good person to have around, both in and out of the game. Beardo was friendly, surprisingly good with advice, and pretty handy when it came to some of the challenges, even if he didn't necessarily believe it himself. And Shawn, while not the most social of them all, watched over them and made sure everyone was in peak condition to keep playing, plus was fully capable of handling himself in any situation. No one was truly deserving of going home. And that was what scared her most.

 _Someone is going to get unfairly booted, and it'll be all our fault. Or maybe… Ugh, more like_ my _fault. If I hadn't gotten grabbed by that stupid bear, we wouldn't be in this mess…_

Perhaps… she really should vote for herself? This _was_ technically her fault after all, even if it had been completely out of her hands. And so far the general rule appeared to be whoever cost a team the challenge, they were the ones sent packing that night. _Though I guess with Max gone and Amy still around, that point is moot._

Regardless, they lost, and Sammy felt responsible. So the only thing to do was to get rid of that responsible person, right? Everyone could continue their chance at the million because they did nothing wrong. And she…

Well. She had a good run so far.

She knew she'd meet resistance, but she gathered her will and took a deep breath-

"You guys should vote for me."

All eyes turned to Beardo as he spoke up. "Wait… _what_?" Sky asked.

"You heard me," he said. With his arms crossed, he didn't look like he was going to budge. "Vote me out tonight."

Silence reigned among them, and everyone shared the same shocked expression. Inwardly, Sammy was relieved that he spoke first, but she was still just as surprised. "But… but _why_?" she asked. She could understand herself going, as painful as it was, but why Beardo?

"Look," he said in a huff. "I've really enjoyed my time here, getting to meet you all and becoming more outgoing and stuff. But, c'mon, I ain't gonna kid myself - there's no way I'm _ever_ gonna win this. Jasmine would crush me under her boot, and heck, both of you guys," he gestured to Sky and Shawn, "are forces to be reckoned with on your own. And me?" He grabbed his stomach and shook it around, jiggling it to and fro. "I couldn't outrun a sloth! Let alone the rest of you. _Or_ a bear!"

"But, Beardo," Sky started, "I said this before, the winners of seasons one and-"

"I know what you said," Beardo interrupted. "And it's great they were able to overcome all of the more athletically built people in their season. But unlike them, I just… don't have the drive to keep going, y'know? I'm chill, I'm laid back. I don't… really _care_ about winning. Money's good and all, but at the end of the day, it doesn't define who I am. And who I am is someone who wants the rest of y'all to still have a chance. Besides…" He rubbed his hands over his eyes. "I don't want us to backstab or gang up on each other now that we lost. I've come to see you guys as friends, and I don't want that to change."

To have come to that conclusion was incredibly noble of Beardo. He wanted his friends to stay as friends, and so he was willing to sacrifice his spot in the game to keep that from happening. Sammy's heart went out to him, but she was just as thankful she was still sticking around.

"I can get behind this," Sammy said, drawing all eyes to her. "I… I don't want us to fight either. So if Beardo's willing to do this for us, I'm okay with it."

"Well, it'll definitely save us the trouble of worrying about it," Shawn said. "So if you're cool with it…"

"I am," Beardo said resolutely. "It, uh, it'll be nice to not have to wake up to a challenge for once, truth be told. And in an actual _bed_."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Sky agreed. She didn't look very pleased with the outcome. "So I guess that's that, then."

"Guess so." He sighed and fell onto his back, his arms cushioning his head. "It was fun while it lasted. And painful. …Mostly painful. But still."

Sammy turned her attention to Ella, who was looking at the fire gloomily. Her gloved arm was still holding the other one tightly, and her eyes were telling Sammy that she was somewhere else, lost in thought. With a nudge of her elbow, Sammy asked, "Hey, you okay? Uh, about this I mean."

Without looking up, she nodded. "Yes. I think… this might be the best outcome out of any, really."

"Probably, yeah."

After lunch, Sammy took the time to find the confessional, though aside from voting she didn't really know what to say. Too much had happened during the morning alone that her mind was unsure of what to focus on. It was a shame about Beardo, a _real_ shame - he valued the rest of them as friends just as much as Sammy herself did, so she knew what he must have been feeling. Besides, he was the one who saved her from the bear, so seeing him leave so soon didn't sit well with her to begin with. But the alternative was perhaps the worst possible thing that could happen. If the others managed to gang up on her and vote her out, all of the trust and confidence she had built up would probably go straight through the window. And who knew how anyone else would feel if that happened to them…

But, now that she thought about it, there _was_ something she could talk about. Something that didn't involve voting out her friend, or getting eaten by a bear.

"I… I think I like Ella?" she asked, completely unsure of herself. "I mean, I'm not sure. I've never felt anything like this before. Is it just me _liking_ her? Or do I actually l… lo…" Her face flared at the mere thought of the word. She realized that she wasn't entirely comfortable saying it out loud. "I mean, I've only known her for, what… six days? Can someone like someone else that quickly? Is that okay? And is it _actually_ me liking her that's causing these feelings? I've never… liked anyone before. Or been liked, I guess. This is just so new to me."

Her frown deepend even further. "And… Ella's a girl. And I'm a girl. What would the others say? What would _Mom_ say? What would Amy-" She paused and scoffed. "Actually, Amy can say whatever she wants. I… I just don't know. I mean, I _knew_ I liked girls more than guys for the past few years, but I never expected to fall for- er, start liking someone while I was _here_. It could… really make things difficult. Even saying it to this _camera_ is probably going to screw me over one day…

"Oh… And speaking of making things difficult… I guess I know what's been bugging her all this time." Sammy instinctually rubbed her arm, thinking of all of the scars running down Ella's own. "What on Earth happened to her for her to get all of those? Just thinking about it gives me chills. I mean, they were obviously self-inflicted, but… Were they from a bully? Or… from home? God, I want to ask but I'm… scared of the answer. …Well, regardless, Ella thinks I should know, now that I've seen them. I guess I should just… wait for her to be okay with telling me."

Unsure of what else to say, Sammy painfully voted for Beardo, and got out of the confessional before her tears got to her. She took in a deep breath of fresh, unpolluted air, and started the return trip towards camp. _That's it. There's no going back now_.

On her way, she crossed paths with Sky, who looked to be lost in her own thoughts. "Hi, Sky," Sammy greeted, stopping in the middle of the path.

She looked up in mild surprise. "Oh, Sammy. I didn't see you there."

"It's fine. How, uh, how are you holding up?"

With a sigh, Sky shrugged. "Okay, I suppose. I don't like the idea of voting off Beardo, but I can't see any other options that don't lead to us infighting."

"Yeah, I was trying to think of other ways this could work, but I don't think there is. If we went behind each other's backs and voted someone _else_ off, I don't know if I'd be able to trust anyone ever again…"

Sky gave her a sorrowful look and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Oh, Sammy… I guess this means we only have one choice, then."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"It's just… so unfair." Sky started pacing in the middle of the path. "Beardo was doing so good here! Not just for the team, but for himself too. He's done well in challenges and he's managed to come so far out of his shell that it's almost a surprise he was so shy on the first day."

Sammy nodded in agreement. "You know, he got over his shyness pretty quickly… I'm glad we didn't judge him too harshly and get him eliminated on the first day."

"You're right, that's true. That's pretty impressive of him to be able to do that, really."

"Maybe he's just not as shy as he thought?" Sammy recalled him standing up to Amy pretty fiercely, and that was only on the third day.

"Well, still, that's all the more reason why voting him off just feels _wrong_ to me." Sky stopped pacing and ran a hand down her face. "But I can't see any other way out of this."

"I mean… Total Drama isn't known for its easy ways out, right? I'm pretty sure past seasons had much more stressful situations than this one. Not… Not that I _want_ this outcome to happen, but… you know…"

Sky sighed. "Yeah, I know. We'll just have to live with it."

She excused herself then, saying she needed to go to the confessional. Sammy, now left alone, resumed the trip back to camp, all the while wondering if things were going to be okay.

* * *

"And tonight's unwilling cannon fodder is… _Beardo_."

Since the answer had ended up being obvious, Chris chose to forgo any long pauses this time around. He tossed the last marshmallow to Sammy, who just barely managed to catch it. There had been a bit of nervousness in her about being the actual one eliminated, but thankfully it didn't come to pass.

Beardo wasn't upset with the result, of course, and stood with grace and his dignity intact. "Hey, man, I'm _more_ than willing." To his now ex-teammates, he said, "Well, y'all, it's been real." Chef Hatchet approached him, but rather than sling him over his shoulder he simply directed Beardo down the cliff. Sammy shared a sad look with the others, and followed them down.

"We're sorry it had to come to this," Sky said when they reached the bottom.

"I know," he said. "But it's what I wanted. So you guys make sure to get far in this thing okay? Make me proud!"

"Yeah, you got it," Sammy replied. She raised her hand up, and Beardo eagerly clapped his against it. "We won't let you down."

He made his way towards the cannon. "Yeah, you better not. And you still owe me two favors, remember?"

"How could I ever forget?" Sammy asked, her smile going wide.

"Don't worry, I'll come to collect some other time. Lucky for you I don't charge interest."

She laughed, but it felt bittersweet. "Yeah. Lucky for me."

"Hey, this isn't supposed to be a happy farewell!" Chris yelled at them. "You should all be miserable for losing again!"

"Miserable? To leave this deathtrap of a gameshow?" Beardo asked, accepting help from Chef to get in the cannon. "Please. If anything, they're doing me a favor." Chris grumbled and stepped aside as Sammy and the rest of the Bears approached. "Welp, guess this is it!" Beardo called out from the cannon's mouth. Chef handed him a helmet, but it got stuck partway through his afro, so he decided to simply leave it there. "Y'all take care of each other, y'hear?"

"Of course," Ella said. Her voice still hadn't regained its luster. "We promise to do just that." Her hand briefly brushed against Sammy's and she immediately felt her heart rate spike. She really wasn't sure how much of that was a good thing.

"Awesome." He leaned causally against the rim of the cannon's mouth. "You know, you guys are pretty great. I'm really glad to have-"

 _BOOM_ went the cannon, cutting Beardo off mid-sentence and sending him soaring through the air. Everyone cried out in surprise, and tried to zero in on him as he flew away. Thanks to his masterful usage of his voice, though, he was able to shout one last sentence. " _It was really nice to meet all of yoooooouuuuuu!_ "

" _See you later!_ " Sammy found herself screaming after him, unsure if her words actually reached him.

When he was no longer in sight, she turned a glare to Chris, casually holding his remote with a self-satisfied grin on his face. "What?" he asked with a shrug. "We've only got so many minutes in an episode." Chris left it at that as he began to close it out. With a roll of her eyes Sammy followed the others back up the path and towards their camp.

On the walk back, she got to thinking. Back on the first day, when they had voted out Leonard after being the first team to lose, Sammy had thought that having someone disappear so suddenly after seeing them all day was weird. Now that they lost someone who they had known for far longer, one who she could perhaps call one of her closest friends, it was like getting punched in the gut and having a hole left where it impacted.

Beardo had been a source of humor and ease, and now that he was gone Sammy was nervous that she'd find herself falling into her old gloomy habits again. But then she noticed Ella walking alongside her, and Sky a little further ahead, and hoped that they would be able to help keep her from going off track.

It was late, the fire had been extinguished, and the only thing left to do was simply to go to bed. With the only guy left on the team being the one who slept in trees, the girls had full reign over the shack, and Sky had the honor of pulling down the blanket dividing the room. "We won't be needing this anymore," she said as she tore it down. "Now we have _two_ extra blankets to use."

"Umm," Sammy said hesitantly. "No offence to him, but I don't think I want to use Beardo's blanket."

Sky paused as she was reaching for it. She sniffed experimentally, and then stood right back up. "…You know, you're right."

A thought occurred to her. "Then again, it's been… almost a week?" Sammy raised an arm and sniffed, and recoiled slightly. "It's been too long since we had a proper shower or bath. I don't think we have a right to complain about smell anymore."

With a groan, Sky nodded. "You're right. I _really_ should've worn something with sleeves before boarding the zeppelin."

Beardo's blanket was tossed outside, and Sky set up her own blankets on the other side of the room to give everyone their own space. Sammy lid down and stared at the sorry excuse for a ceiling, wondering if Beardo made it out okay wherever he ended up at. She hoped he landed safely - there _had_ to be some sort of safety net to catch them. They wouldn't just shoot people away with nothing to keep them from getting hurt, right?

"We should probably get some sleep," Sky was saying as she lid down. "We'll have to try extra hard tomorrow."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Sammy tried her best to get comfortable. "It'll be weird without his snoring."

"I know. But we gotta push through this. This is what he wanted, right?"

"Right." Sammy looked to her left, where Ella was already on her side, arms wrapped around herself tightly. She was back-on to Sammy, and seeing her like this filled her heart with sorrow.

Her eyes wandered to the blanket underneath Ella, and she saw the corner of a piece of paper sticking out. _Oh, that's right, we didn't get around to the poem… Now wouldn't be a good time anyway, even though I still want to hear it. Actually, I think I want to hear it even_ more _now. I'll ask her… when things are better, I guess._

Sammy wished the others goodnight and settled into her blanket. The day's events played through her mind - _Kinda crazy I got grabbed by a bear and lived. That'll be a story for the ages_ \- and the exhaustion finally caught up to her. It wasn't long before she fell into a dreamless sleep.

…

Until she was woken up suddenly. She heard the calm breathing of Sky from across the room, but closer to her was the sound of whimpering, and there was a weight against her side that wasn't there before.

Quietly looking to her side and squinting through the darkness, Sammy saw Ella clinging to her arm, a troubled look on her face as she dealt with whatever nightmare was plaguing her sleep.

Sammy, still half asleep, was tempted to wake her up and save her from it, but she knew that waking someone from a nightmare could be dangerous. She sent a glance at Sky, who was sound asleep herself, and decided to try and help Ella another way. Slowly turning on her side, Sammy gently wrapped Ella in a hug with her free arm, and tried to soothe her by rubbing her back. Somehow, it managed to work, and soon her friend's crying subsided entirely.

Breathing in relief, Sammy quickly fell back to sleep herself.

She didn't move from where she was.


	9. Out of the Dark (Ironically)

Sammy awoke to find that there was no one else in the shack.

She sat up, yawning and stretching. She scratched at her side, wincing when she disturbed the marks left by the bear, and exited the hut. The sky was a light blue, and the sun wasn't above the treetops yet. If she were to guess, it was probably around six or seven in the morning. It made sense that Sky was up and gone, but Sammy was usually awake before Ella and Beardo were, and so she briefly wondered where-

"Oh, wait." She stopped herself short. "That's right. Beardo's gone." Inhaling a breath and sighing, she kicked over a random rock in frustration. "Crap." That was going to take some getting used to. She wondered what he would have said if he knew she forgot him for a second… Regardless, she figured she should just go on about her day. That's probably what he would've wanted.

And in that case, Ella's whereabouts were at the forefront of her mind, now especially after everything that happened yesterday. Considering that the fruit baskets were gone, Sammy may have had an idea of where she went.

Figuring it was better to go look for her than to sit still and do nothing, Sammy strolled out of the campgrounds and in the direction of the berry patch. As she walked, a sudden chill blew past her, forcing her to shiver and hug herself. "Weird," she mumbled, her ponytail blowing in the breeze. "It's the middle of August, it shouldn't be this cold. Should it?" She'd never been to western Canada before now, so maybe their climate was different than home? Who knew, really? The main thing was, she should consider asking for her shirt back from Ella… Though something would have to be done about her arm. Sammy sincerely doubted she'd be willing to have it on public display.

After another few moments of walking, she made it to the foraging area, only to find it completely empty. Sammy hummed, and spent another little bit just wandering around, hoping to find someone but also hoping to _not_ find her sister. To both her relief and disappointment, there was absolutely no one was around.

"Okay, this is _really_ weird." She rubbed her arms to warm herself up, and after some consideration decided to just head back to camp and wait. "Ah well. Not like I can go foraging without baskets or bags, anyway."

As she started making her way out of the area, she heard the sound of running footsteps, quickly getting louder and louder. Anticipating the worst, she pressed herself up against a nearby tree, only to back away from it when she saw it was only Shawn.

"Shawn?" she asked, approaching him. He stopped running and bent over to regain his breath. "You good? What's wrong?"

He quickly turned to her, a desperate look in his eye. "Ah! Sammy!" he suddenly shouted.

"W-What?!" she shouted right back. She half expected him to start raving about spotting a zombie, but this ended up being furthest from the truth.

"How do I talk to girls?!"

Sammy stared in surprise for a moment. The complete one-eighty of the expected topic left her stunned, but once it set in that he was serious she snorted and hid her laughter behind her hand. " _That's_ what's got you so worked up? Oh my _god_ , I thought there was an emergency!"

"This _is_ an emergency!" he declared, taking her by the shoulders and shaking her. "I think Jasmine's starting to get serious about a relationship!"

Sammy involuntarily gasped, not even caring that he was invading her personal space. "Aah! Seriously?! That's so great!"

"Not great! We keep bumping into each other and I'm _pretty_ sure she's dropping hints but I have no idea what to do or say! I'm at a complete loss!"

"And that's why you need my help?" she asked. She pried his hands off her shoulders, despite his iron grip. "But what can I do? The first time I had a proper conversation with someone in a _long_ time was literally last week."

"You're friends with her, right?" he asked. "What's her favorite movie? Her ideal spot for a date? Do I have to fill out a questionnaire before asking her out, because _hoo boy_ I did _not_ study for that!"

"OMG, Shawn, take it easy!" Sammy couldn't help but continue to laugh at his antics. "I don't know her _that_ well! Actually, out of all my friends here, she's the one I know the least about. Anyway, look, the best way to ask a girl out is to just… I dunno. Be honest about it!"

"Be _honest_?" Shawn asked dubiously.

"Yes, _duh_! What point is there in hiding your feelings from her? You like her, she obviously likes you… Honestly, I didn't think it'd take this long for you two to get together."

"I didn't want this to happen in the first place! What if things get serious and she asks to split the prize money? How am I supposed to build my zombie-proof bunker with anything less than a million?!"

Sammy's excited attitude immediately fell away when he said that. "Wait… You're willing to ruin your chance at a relationship with her because of a zombie-proof bunker?"

"I-I didn't say that!" Shawn defended. "Of course I want to try dating her, but what am I supposed to do when the apocalypse comes and I don't have anywhere to hide away from them?"

 _And once again, all reason with him has flown out the window. Ugh, I_ knew _this zombie obsession was going to hold him back!_ Sammy tried her best to hold in a sigh. "Shawn, I'm going to be serious for a second. If you want to take a chance with Jasmine, you should probably… um, dial back on this whole zombie thing."

He gaped at her for a moment, and then swiftly backed up a few steps. "Oh. So you're one of _those_ people."

"Wait, wait, just hear me out," she said. "I really have no clue if the apocalypse is coming or not. It could be right around the corner, it could be a million years off, who knows!"

"Well _I_ know it's gonna be soon, that's why I need to prepare!" He scoffed and turned on his heel. "Not like you'd understand it."

"Shawn, hold up!" Sammy ran to catch up with him. "Look, you have to admit, right now you're pretty much the only one here who…" She chose her words as carefully as she could. "…Who's really preparing for it, you know? To a lot of the others, and myself included I guess, they don't know what's going to happen. They also probably… _don't_ want to know. You know?"

He stopped and glared at her. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say, if you want to pursue a relationship with Jasmine, you might want to tone the zombie talk down. Or, you know, maybe ease her into it? I'm not… entirely sure how open-minded she'd be about it all."

"So you're telling me to just forget about all the training I've done in my life so that I can be with someone?"

 _Now_ Sammy sighed, and ran her hands down her face. "That is literally the exact _opposite_ of what I'm saying! Alright, how about this: try looking at it from _her_ perspective."

"Her perspective?"

"Yeah. Pretend you're a girl - a tall, Australian girl that's probably wrestled with a family of alligators or something - and for your whole life you've thought this one thing was nothing more than just… fake, not real, fiction, whatever. _I'm not saying it is_ ," she quickly added when he leveled another glare on her, "but just put yourself in her shoes. If suddenly some dude came up to you and started talking about that one thing like it was real, when you've grown up your whole life believing it wasn't, how would you react? Be honest here."

By some miracle, she seemed to be getting through to him. He didn't answer right away, and was lost in his mind working out the answer. A few moments passed, and he loudly groaned. "I'd… be weirded out, I guess. Confused, freaked out by this person saying stuff that isn't true."

Sammy internally sighed in relief. "See? There you-"

" _But_ ," he interrupted. "What about me? I believe that- No, I _know_ for a fact that zombies are real and that the apocalypse isn't far off. So why do I need to cater to her when she can't do the same?"

"That's why I said to ease her into it!" _God, it's like this guy hears only what he wants to hear!_ "Don't go all fanatical on her about it, but you also don't have to give up that part of you just to please her! If it's truly meant to be - which, by the way, I still think is the case - then she'll accept you for who you are! Just… take it easy for the first bit, okay?"

He scratched at his head and gave another sigh. "You sure you hadn't had any conversations like this from before last week? If I didn't know any better I'd say you were used to giving out relationship advice."

Sammy laughed awkwardly and looked away. "I've… always wanted to play matchmaker. And I want to see you guys get together. You two would be so cute!"

He grumbled at that. "I dunno about _cute_ , but… I'll think over what you said."

She gasped. "You will?!"

"I _do_ like her, and even though I've been rationalizing why I shouldn't, I do want to try dating her…" He let out a grown and pull his toque over his eyes. "Aaggh, this is going to be difficult, isn't it?"

"No one said it wasn't," Sammy told him, "but going through with this is _so_ going to be worth it. Trust me."

Shawn hummed in thought. He lifted up his hat just enough to look at her with one eye. "Have you been in a relationship before? 'Cuz it sounds like you're speaking from experience."

Sammy shook her head. "You're asking _me_ if I've dated anyone? This is the first time I've had _friends_ , let alone a gi-" She clamped her mouth shut. "Um. A p-partner." If Shawn picked up on that, he didn't show it. "I, uh, I just feel that this is obvious for a relationship, right? You gotta trust one another, there's give and take, that sort of stuff. And I mean, it's not just daters who that should be for. Friends and family need trust and communication. Without it… there's not much of a relationship to be had at all." _And that_ is _something I know from experience._

He hummed in thought. "I guess I can see where you're coming from. I don't want to make too many compromises, but… I really _do_ like Jasmine…"

"You're resourceful. I'm sure you'll find a good balance," Sammy said.

"Heh. Maybe you're right."

With that conversation concluded, Sammy resumed her trek back to the camp. "By the way, do you know where Ella is? I wanted to talk to her before the challenge."

"Last I saw her, she was at the junk piles," he told her.

"Wait, really? I thought she was foraging. Why would she be there?"

Shawn shrugged. "No clue. What's the deal with her arm, anyway? She's still got your shirt covering it. I highly doubt it's just one single scar."

 _You don't know how accurate you are._ Sammy groaned uncomfortably. "Honestly, I really shouldn't say. It's not my place."

"Mm. Fair enough. Anyway, see you at the challenge." He took off in the opposite direction, and Sammy continued on, but she then heard him skid to a stop rather quickly. "Also, you better take your own advice and ask her out soon!"

Sammy _froze_ and didn't dare turn back around. "Wh- Wh- What do you mean?! I don't know what you're talking about!" _Oh god, he knows. He knows and he's gonna tell everyone, and everyone will hate me and Mom will find out and she'll kick me out and I'll be homeless for the rest of my life-_

"Dude, have you seen the way you look at her? Uh, well, I guess you can't, but have you seen the way _she_ looks at _you?_ You asked me how Jasmine and I haven't gotten together yet, but I think there's an even more obvious couple in the making here!"

She slowly turned back towards him, and to her utter surprise he was grinning and giving her two thumbs up. _No way. This is a trick. It has to be._ "Y… You're okay with that? That…" She swallowed hard and bit the bullet. "That I'm gay?"

Shawn was taken aback by the question. "Well, yeah, of course! The zombie apocalypse doesn't discriminate, so why should I?" He gave one last wave and dashed off after that, leaving her alone.

That was… some ridiculous logic at best, but it did wonders at putting her at ease. _Okay… okay, calm down, Samantha. Shawn accepts me, which is good. The others must as well, right? ...Right?_

With no way to be sure of the answer, she decided it was best to simply keep on going. Shawn said Ella was at the junk piles, so that's where she'd look.

But despite all her talk on how Shawn should just go ahead and confess his feelings to the person he liked… it was a bit more complicated with her situation. Now was very much _not_ the time. She'd have to wait for a better opportunity to present itself before she said anything to Ella.

* * *

The junk pile was just as confusing to find as most other places on the island, and it didn't help that she hadn't visited it since the first day. But as luck would have it, she managed to find it before Chris called for everyone to gather. She had no idea how she did it, seeing as how she had difficulty finding the _bathroom_ consistently, but she wasn't about to complain.

There were several piles of junk that went as high as the island's tallest trees, and now that she was in the area outside of a challenge, she was able to take the time and count around seven or eight of them in total. "No wonder Shawn is able to find so much stuff," she mused to herself, idly looking around. "There's so much here. A lot of it crappy, but still."

Sammy spent a few minutes wandering around, trying to find Ella amongst all of the trash. She wasn't exactly sure what she could be looking for, but she did have a few guesses. For one, she could be looking for more paper to write another poem, or maybe a new pen to replace the chewed-up one she had been using. She could've also been looking for more baskets or bags to help with the foraging, though with one less person around that seemed rather unnecessary.

 _Maybe she's looking for something to put on her arm,_ Sammy thought. _Actually, would that even be safe? All this stuff is dirty and old. I don't think it'd be sanitary to use it to cover scars…_

The light of the sun caught something on one of the piles, and Sammy winced in response. Looking at it, she spotted the sharp corner of a sheet of metal, honed to a point and ready to stab into anyone who wasn't looking.

_Stab, or… cut._

Sammy frowned and decided to quicken her searching.

"Ella?" she called out after another moment. "Hey, you here? It's Sammy!"

The area wasn't _that_ big, so it seemed a little odd to Sammy when it took a few seconds for her to hear a response. "I'm over here!" came Ella's voice, a bit out of the way and tucked behind a corner she didn't realize was there.

"There you are," Sammy said when Ella finally came into view. She was hunched down in front of a smaller pile, digging through its base and quite obviously looking for something. The shirt was still wrapped around her arm, although it looked like it was sloppily put on compared to yesterday. _Maybe she took it off for something_. "I wasn't expecting you to be up so early. Usually you're still asleep when I leave the shack to get breakfast."

"Yes, that's true," she agreed. "But there was something I wanted to do before the challenge. I didn't get around to it yesterday because of losing, but I don't want to do anything else until I find what I'm looking for."

"And… what _are_ you looking for?" Sammy hesitantly asked. "Am I able to help?"

Ella looked up at her. "Are you sure? It's not very exciting."

"It's fine! I'd be more than willing to help you, you know."

She took a moment to consider it, though in the end she made her decision quickly. "Alright then. I'm looking for a replacement for my glove, and your shirt. I can't be hogging it for the whole day again."

"Ah, I thought that's why you were here." Internally, Sammy was relieved. _Nothing dangerous, thank god._ She knelt to the ground and started searching alongside her. "But…um, listen, I'm sorry if this is too personal, and feel free not to answer, but… wouldn't putting something from a garbage dump over… your arm, as it is, be sorta dangerous? It might get… you know, infected, I guess…"

Sammy was _really_ at a loss for how she should approach this - she had no experience dealing with this sort of situation. In hindsight, she probably also had a home life that could lead to cutting or something of the sort, but nothing like that had ever crossed her mind. And now that it was suddenly thrust before her, she didn't know what to do.

There was a pause, and Sammy was preparing to call herself stupid again for asking another stupid question like that. But then Ella, letting out a shaky breath, folded her hands together and answered. "It… should be fine, I think. Most are healed over."

Sammy gave her a sympathetic look. "But… not all of them are, are they?"

Ella gave a humorless laugh. "You saw my arm for, what, a second? And you already picked that out? …Well, you're right, they're not. But I don't really know what else to do."

"What about putting your other glove on that arm?" Sammy offered.

She held up her one remaining glove. "I suppose I could just swap this one over, yes, but I don't think they were made with that in mind. You know how winter gloves are always designed with one hand meant for one glove? These are sort of like that."

"Ohh, so it's not really an option. I see."

"Right. And I don't have anything else to cover it with, what with all of our stuff getting lost in the blimp, so I'm looking for something like that."

"I get what you're saying. Then I guess I'll _also_ look for something like that."

Ella smiled in gratitude. "Thank you."

But try as they might, neither of them found anything resembling a glove. Sammy _did_ find a dog bowl with a hole punched through it, a partially rusty Hello Kitty utility knife, a harmonica clogged with something blue and mushy, and an old CRT TV with its screen covered in crude marker drawings. But aside from these and many other odd discoveries, something wearable and clean just wasn't available.

By this point they had made their way around the entire base of the pile they were working at, and met again on the other side. "I'm sorry, Ella," Sammy said, falling back and taking a breather. "But I don't think there's anything here."

Ella sighed and wiped the dirt off her hands and onto her skirt. "I thought as much. I've been looking all morning through several different piles, but not one of them has any suitable clothing."

"What time did you get up?"

"Since before the sun rose. It was rather early."

" _Before_ sunrise? Wow. Yeah, that's a long time to be looking." Sammy noticed that she had yet to mention anything about last night. Perhaps it was best to keep it that way. "You, uh, you must really want to find something else, huh?"

"Well, yes," she answered. With a grin and a proper giggle she continued. "I can't keep holding on to your shirt forever."

Sammy laughed along with her. "You know, without context, that kinda sounds inappropriate."

"It does, doesn't it?"

With one last chuckle, Sammy climbed to her feet and dusted off the back of her skirt. "I don't think there's anything else we can do, though. We've been here for a while now, and Chris is definitely going to call us soon."

"I suppose you're right." Ella stood as well, and examined the wrapped shirt. "Hm. What I wouldn't give to go back and get something with longer sleeves. Now that I think about it, I _really_ should've realized a monkey was going to steal my glove before I came on here."

Sammy laughed and nodded in agreement. And then a thought clicked in her head. "Sleeves?"

Ella looked at her. "Pardon?"

"Sleeves… _Sleeve_ …" She tapped a finger to her chin, and an idea formed. She looked at the uniform on Ella's arm and pointed to it. "Hey, I know you might be uncomfortable with this, but… may I see my shirt for a second?"

Ella's fists clenched at the thought, but after a few deep breaths she nodded and undid the shirt. It was still covered in stains of different varieties, and it honestly did _not_ smell good - _that's what you get for wearing it for a week straight and not washing it_ \- but it was still relatively serviceable. She took a hold of one of the sleeves and measured it. After wearing it for so long, she knew it really only came up to her forearm, so if she used the _whole_ sleeve-

"What are you planning on doing?" Ella asked. She had her gloved arm wrapped tightly around the bare one.

"Getting you something to wear," Sammy replied, and quickly searched through the pile once more. Soon, she found what she was looking for - the utility knife she spotted earlier. She didn't really know why it had Hello Kitty of all things on it, but it would likely do the trick regardless.

Without another word, Sammy set about cutting the right sleeve off of her uniform. It wasn't a clean cut, because A) this wasn't something she had done before and B) the knife was somewhat rusty and she had to force it a bit to get it to work, but it was a good enough job that the end result didn't look _too_ bad. She held up the severed cloth, checking it over once more - it was still a bit grimy, but there wasn't anything they could do to get it off with what they had.

She held it aloft, offering it to her friend. "There we go. This should work, right?"

Ella stared at the fabric, uncertainty written all over her face. She was about to reach an arm out, and it instantly snapped back in place over her other one. But she drew in a breath, and took it after a moment. Sammy did everything in her power not to look at the scars. Without a word Ella slipped her hand into the sleeve and drew it up her arm, and miraculously it seemed to do the trick. She looked it over - the size was just what Sammy hoped for, going from the wrist right to the elbow. "This is perfect," Ella told her.

Sammy stood and smirked slyly. "Oh, good. I guess we can say it fits like a glove, right?"

Ella must have choked on spit, because she simultaneously started laughing and coughing. "Oh my g-goodness, Samantha, you are _terrible_ ," she chided in between her fits.

She shrugged casually. "Hey, I've got sixteen years worth of puns left to explore. I'm not stopping anytime soon."

When the laughter died down, Ella simply beamed at her. "Good. It's healthy to explore your interests like that. I'm glad to hear you found something you like." To the side, she quietly added, "Even if it _is_ puns."

Now it was Sammy's turn to laugh. "Hey, what's _that_ supposed to mean?" she asked. "I'll have you know puns are some of the best sources of humor. Do you know how difficult it is to make sure they work given the situation? I put a lot of effort into them!"

"Yes, but a lot of the time they fall right onto your lap. You shouldn't be taking credit where it's not due. That's just plain rude."

"Ah, you're right, of course. What was I thinking?"

Ella grinned. "As long as you know you were wrong."

" _Wow_ , you can be harsh when you want to be! I'll have to start being careful around you."

Ella put her hand to her mouth and laughed. "I'm not usually like this, honest. I guess I just… feel so comfortable around you."

And then Sammy's face lit up like a firework when she remembered who she was talking with. "O-Oh, yeah? I'm, like, really comfortable around you too, you know." _God_ , she felt like a fool. Did Ella know how she felt about her yet? Because if not that time was going to happen very soon and probably lead to some awkward conversations.

Ella smiled warmly, and much to Sammy's internal joy and agony she took her hands in hers. "I'm so glad to hear that."

"Y-Yeah, totally." Holding Ella's hands now, it kind of caught her off guard when the bare one, free of its gloved constraint, felt surprisingly rough, at least near the tips of her fingers. Without really thinking, Sammy turned Ella's hand over to examine it, and saw that each finger was actually heavily callused.

She must have had a shocked look on her face, because Ella giggled at the action. "Guitar player. Remember?"

"Oh! Right!" Truth be told, Sammy may have forgotten that detail. "Sorry, kinda took me by surprise."

"No worries. By the way, um, I wanted to thank you for doing this." She motioned to the severed red sleeve. Unlike the entirety of Sammy's shirt, it didn't stick out all _that_ much on her arm. "But are you sure you're okay with that? Your outfit will be lopsided now."

Sammy scoffed and glanced back down at the uniform on the ground, now with only one sleeve. "At this point in my life, I honestly couldn't care less about it. I think I've grown past doing whatever Amy says or wants, so the second I get home I'm quitting the cheer squad."

"Are you serious? Oh, that's wonderful!" Ella cried, and wrapped Sammy up in a hug. Sammy was all too aware of the close contact, but she still returned the hug as nonchalantly as she possibly could. "I'm so proud of you for deciding to do that! You're finally turning your life around, just like you wanted!"

"Yeah!" Sammy wholeheartedly agreed. "I mean, I can't take all the credit. You, and Beardo and Sky, and everyone else really helped me along the way. If you guys weren't there, I don't know what I'd do."

"I'm sure you would've figured it out," Ella reasoned.

"Maybe," she said with a shrug. "Or it could've gotten worse… But anyway, those are just what-ifs. There's no need to dwell on them when I'm doing okay for myself now."

"You're right." She squee'd in delight and tightened the hug. "But still! You're doing amazing! Just think about how far you've come since last week!"

"Oh, definitely. It's been a heck of a journey," Sammy admitted, "but I'm glad I made it."

That's when the speakers crackled to life, causing the hug to become even tighter out of fright. Chris called for the contestants once more, taunting them as he normally did, and left just as suddenly.

"Oh crap!" Sammy cried in realization. "We haven't had breakfast!"

Ella gasped. "We should go, now!" She took Sammy's hand and dashed out of the junk pile.

Despite how unappealing the thought of doing a challenge on an empty stomach sounded, Sammy couldn't help but laugh as she was dragged behind. She _never_ would have imagined this on the first day, but she was so glad this is where she ended up.

But then she dug her heels in and turned back around. "Ah, wait, my shirt! I can't leave without _that!_ "

When Sammy returned with her now-one-sleeved uniform in place, Ella was doubled over laughing. "S-Sorry! I completely forgot about it! This was supposed to be about you getting your shirt _back_ and I forgot all about it!"

Sammy was reminded about how much she liked the sound of Ella's laugh. "It's fine, I did too! Come on, let's go," she said, and even though it was no longer necessary they still held hands as they ran back.

* * *

"Hmm…"

"What's up, Sky?"

"I… don't see how this ball will be able to get us to the other side of the island."

She was right, now that Sammy thought about it. The inside of the giant orb was completely solid, and the only light coming in was from the open hatch they had walked through. And that hatch was going to close when the game started. How were they supposed to get to the other side of the island when they wouldn't be able to tell which direction it was _in_?

"Man, it's cramped in here," Shawn noted, being the last one to dive in. "I swear, if any of you turn-"

"You'll be the first one to run, yes, we know," Sammy said, arms crossed sternly.

He nodded. "Just so we're all aware."

"Um, Chris?" Ella said, looking out of the hatch and at the host. "We won't be able to see out of these."

"Oh no," said the host uncaringly, slamming the hatch shut on her and casting the interior in darkness.

"You know, sometimes I am _really_ not a fan of him," Ella said with a huff.

"You and the rest of us," Sky grumbled.

"You might feel a bit of a drop!" Chris yelled from the outside. "Ready? Go!"

"Drop?" Sammy asked as the ball started rolling. The team of four started walking with the rotations, though with not much surface area between them it was a bit of a challenge. "What does he mean by-"

And then they were falling.

" _AAAAAAHHHH!_ " Everyone screamed as they were lifted up from the ground and hung in the air. Then the first impact came, slamming everyone back down, followed by the next, and then next. Sammy for the life of her couldn't tell which way was up or down after a few seconds, and more than once she collided with one of the others, but with who was anyone's guess.

Soon enough, the falling stopped, and Sammy laid on the bottom of a four-person dogpile. Everyone attempted to pick themselves back up in between the groaning, but the curvature of the interior made it tough to do so.

"Did we all make it out okay?" Sky asked.

"Really not sure," Sammy said, her voice strained from the weight of the people on her. "I might be able to tell if you guys get off me."

"Oh, crap, sorry," Shawn cried out, and everyone scrambled to get off. A few pairs of hands helped her up, and after a once-over on herself she found that she was okay. In pain, sure, but nothing seemed to be broken.

"I think I'm good," Sammy said. "But… remind me never to do that ever again." Light then poured into the orb, and Sammy could see once more. Sky hopped out ungracefully and landed right flat on her stomach, and the others followed suit. Sammy helped Ella out, but her friend was clutching her stomach painfully. Her face was scrunched and looked a rather unfortunate shade of green. "Uhh, are you gonna be okay?"

Ella gave her a twisted smile. "I-I think so. Maybe. P… Probably not. Let me get back to you on that."

 _Ooh that cannot be good._ "If you start to feel sick, just let me know, okay?" Ella only nodded, and sat down on the edge of the orb's hatch to steady herself. Sammy began to rub her back, which she graciously accepted and thanked her for.

"Oh, look at that!" came Jasmine's voice from the other orb. "We're at the bottom of a _deep_ , _dark_ cave! How 'bout that?"

Her voice was unusually high and flustered, and when Sammy looked over she saw her crouched down in a ball, shivering, and looking at the cave walls with a manic look in her eye.

"Jasmine?" she asked her. "Are… are you alright?"

The Australian however didn't answer, and it almost looked like she didn't even hear her. Scarlett, on the other hand, did. "She appears to be suffering from a particularly acute case of claustrophobia," she said with a sort of-disinterested tone, approaching Sammy with her arms folded. "I sincerely doubt the lack of natural sunlight and the high, encompassing walls are doing her any favors."

"Claustrophobia?" Sammy repeated, sending a sympathetic glance at her friend. _I had no idea… And now we're down here in this dank cave. God, this must be terrible for her!_

"Oh, are you unaware of the definition of claustrophobia?" Scarlett asked, misinterpreting her reaction. "It's either a rational or irrational fear of tight, enclosed-"

"Um, I _know_ what claustrophobia is," Sammy interrupted, putting her hand on her hip.

"Oh." Scarlett, still as uninterested, gave her a once over. "Could've fooled me."

"Wh- Hey, what's _that_ supposed to mean?!"

There was just a _touch_ of a smirk on Scarlett's lips - _Is she making fun of me? You know, at this point I wouldn't put it past her_ \- but there wasn't a chance for her to reply as Chris's face popped up on a huge TV a little ways up the cave wall. "You guys enjoy the ride? I came up with it myself!"

"Was that _really_ necessary?" Amy asked. Truth be told, she had been so quiet that Sammy forgot she was there, which was something that had _never_ happened before. "I've got a splitting headache from it…"

"Aw, and let me guess, you broke a nail, too?" Chris mocked.

Amy rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I wasn't gonna bring it up, _but_ …"

"Anyway," Chris pushed on, "welcome to your _real_ challenge: getting out of this cave!"

"Why bother with the bogus one?" Scarlett asked him.

"If I told you I wanted to cram you all into giant balls and drop you 140 feet into a cave, you all would've _moaned_ and _whined_ … This was easier!"

"He's technically got a point," Shawn conceded. "I doubt we would've come along quietly had we known."

"Okay, true, but I'm still not happy about it," Sky said, glaring up at Chris the whole time.

"I don't think any of us are," Sammy told her.

"Somewhere down there are two supply bags with the necessary equipment you'll need to get out," Chris informed. Sky took it upon herself to go fetch theirs, and Scarlett did the same for her team. "That said, one _might_ be better than the other."

"Climbing gear, night-vision goggles, durable rope," Scarlett ticked off as she worked through her bag. "Hm, most of this _will_ be useful."

"Oh, lucky you," Sky said with some venom in her voice. She seemed to be just as mad at Scarlett as Sammy was. "We've got soy sauce packets, kitty litter, and a CD of Beardo's beatboxing! How's this going to help us at all?"

"Good question! I'm sure you'll figure it out," Chris replied. "Now, there are also a bunch of tunnels around you, which all lead to a single exit to the surface. Some are safer but take longer to get out, while others are dangerous and can be considered shortcuts, so choose wisely! The first _full_ team to cross the finish line first wins!"

"Alright, so we definitely want to stick together on this one," Shawn told them. "If we get separated, we make for the exit as quick as we can. Got it?" Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Also, I feel like I should mention this," Chris said. "According to Cree legend, no one who's gone in has _ever_ come out."

Gasps aplenty came from everyone, and Sammy found herself turning to Sky. "Is, um, is that true?"

Sky gave her a bewildered look. "I… I don't know? I mean, yeah, I _am_ Cree, but I don't know every single legend." She leaned in closer to her and whispered, "Also, that's _really_ not a thing you should be asking people of different race and cultures. It can be kind of insensitive, making an assumption like that."

"What? Really?" And once more, her social blundering came front and center. Her hands shot to her mouth as she blushed in shame. "OMG, Sky, I'm so sorry, I had no idea!"

"It's okay, just remember for next time." She kindly put a hand on her shoulder, and Sammy vigorously nodded.

"Your challenge starts… _now_!" Chris blasted his air horn, which seemed to echo throughout the cave and cause some rumblings in the surrounding walls.

"Something tells me we're going to have to be quiet for this one," Shawn said.

"I'm okay with quiet," Sammy agreed, staring up at the cliffs suspiciously. There looked to be some rocks dangerously close to the edges…

"If that's the case, I think the best thing to do is go for the fastest routes," Sky suggested. "The faster we get out, the better off we'll be."

"Even if it's- _urp_ ," Ella burped uncomfortably. "E-Excuse me… Even if it's dangerous?"

"Yeah, even so," Sky answered. "Uh… you alright? You're looking pretty ill, Ella."

"Sorry," she said. She clutched at her gut and winced. "My stomach is s-still queasy from the fall."

"I think you had too many blueberries for breakfast," Sammy said.

"Yes, I'm aware of that n-now. _Urrrp!_ Ohh goodness, excuse me again. I-Is there anyway I can stay sitting down for another little bit?"

Sky grimaced and shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we have the time for that. We have to be the first ones to find our way-"

" _OUT!_ " Jasmine suddenly screamed, startling everyone around her. She made a mad dash for the nearest wall and smacked her fists against it several times. " _Gotta! Get! OUUUT!_ "

Her claustrophobia was worse than Sammy had thought, but that was at the back of her mind - Jasmine's pounding on the walls caused more shaking and a bunch of small rocks to fall from above. One ended up hitting her in the head and caused her to yelp in pain, but it wasn't anything to worry about.

"Um, hey, maybe hitting the wall and yelling _isn't_ a good idea?" Topher asked Jasmine, covering his head with his hands. "I'd really rather not have any big rocks falls and hit us, thank you very much!"

"I agree with him," Scarlett said worriedly. "This cave is structurally unstable. We should leave as _soon_ as we can."

Out of the blue, Ella burped once more, louder than before. She looked frightened and panicked, a mix of nauseous green and embarrassed red, and her breathing was steadily speeding up. "Oh god. _Ohh_ god. I think- I-I think I'm gonna-" Without warning she broke from the group and ran towards a wall, but before she could even reach it she collapsed onto the ground and spewed her breakfast. And did so with a bit more noise than what she should've been making.

 _Uh oh, she's a violent barfer. Just what we needed down here._ Sammy rushed over to her and kept rubbing her back. She did everything in her power to keep herself from throwing up as well. "Ella? Ella, you're gonna be okay, you hear me? You're gonna-"

That's when she made such an intense retching noise, that the rumbling picked up once more.

"Dammit!" Amy shouted when the rocks began falling. "It's a cave-in!"

"You know, your yelling is _seriously_ not helping us!" Sammy cried at her sister.

"Neither is yours!" Amy spat back.

"Enough!" Scarlett cried at them. "We need to move, _now_!"

The Salmons each made a dash for the tunnels, but Sammy was too preoccupied with Ella to see which ones they went into. "Ella, come on, we need to go! Please!"

It didn't take her too long to finish, and she wiped her mouth with her glove and left a long, gross purple streak on it. "I-I'm so sorry," she said, tears staining her cheeks. "Throwing up is so painful and I hate it and-"

"I know, I'm sure it sucked, but we need to go before we get crushed!" Sammy helped her friend up and brought her over to Shawn and Sky, who were examining the tunnels. Or, rather, the ones that were still open and not blocked by the giant falling rocks.

"This one!" Shawn declared, pointing at one in particular. "I see daylight!" He and Sky ran in ahead of them, and Sammy would've followed them both were it not for Ella stopping her.

" _Wait, no!_ " Ella literally grabbed Sammy by the arm and hauled her back, just in time to be missed by a rain of boulders that fell and clogged the entrance.

" _OMG!_ " Sammy shouted, staring at the pile that was bigger and a _lot_ heavier than she was. "I-I could've been crushed! Ella, thank-"

"Save it for later!" She started pulling on Sammy's arm again and brought them into the last cave still open. Unfortunately the second they made it inside, that entrance also got blocked, and Ella leapt to the ground with Sammy in tow to get away from being pinned beneath.

They stayed there like that, trying to cover each other from any stray rocks that might have fallen towards them, but soon all of the rumbling subsided and they were left in silence. Silence, and an impenetrable darkness that put the orb's lack of light to shame.

When it was obvious the cave decided to stop caving-in, Sammy opened her eyes to the dark, and tried to make out Ella in front of her. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm… I suppose so, yes. I still feel somewhat unwell, but I'll be fine." Sammy felt her sit up, and she followed suit. "Goodness, it's dark in here."

"Yeah, I can't see at all." She slowly edged her way to the blockage and tried to push against it, but it wouldn't budge. "Aaand there's no way we're getting back out this way. Lovely."

"What should we do?" Ella asked, coming up alongside her and putting a hand on her shoulder. Being unable to see, it was a good gesture.

"I think the best thing to do is just to keep going," Sammy said. "Funny, I thought it'd take us longer to get separated, not right out of the gate. But oh well. There's nothing else we can do here."

"I guess not, no. But… where are we supposed to go if we can't see?"

She hummed and felt along the blockage until she came to a wall. "We should just follow the wall until we get somewhere. How does that sound?"

"Well, it's better than simply waiting here."

"Alright, perfect. Let's go."

"Um, wait," Ella said hesitantly.

"What's wrong?" They couldn't afford to waste _too_ much time, but Sammy was willing to listen to whatever she needed.

But then Ella started toward her, found her in the dark, and intertwined their hands and fingers together. "I… feel much more at ease like this, if you don't mind."

 _Huh. Thank god for the dark, because my face feels like it's been set on fire right now._ "Y-Yeah, no problem! Me too."

They slowly made their way through the cave, Sammy's hand never leaving the wall and Ella's hand never leaving her other one. There were some twists and turns, some tight corridors and long, thin rocks on the floor they had to weave around - _Are they stalactites or stalagmites? I could never get them right_ \- but Sammy felt they were making good time.

It didn't take them too long to come to a large cavern, which they were able to tell by how echoey their voices had become. It was still nearly impossible to see, but when a monitor came on with Chris's face on it, the whole room lit up like a firework.

"Welcome to the Drop Zone," Chris announced. They hadn't been in the dark long enough for her eyes to adjust, so when the lights turned on Sammy quickly scanned their new surroundings. It wasn't much to write home about - it was a decently-sized room, smaller than she would've originally imagined, and the ceiling didn't go up too high. But the surprising part to it all was the large gap in the floor between where they stood and the exit, and the only connecting piece of ground between them was a thin, winding rock path with nothing stopping them from falling. It almost looked like a maze, except the architect forgot about installing the walls. "Aptly named, isn't it?"

"It's… not off the mark," Ella told him.

"Your goal, as should be obvious, is to cross this giant hole in the ground on the itty bitty path before you. A most terrible fate will you be met with if you fall… So try not to do that!"

"You really are trying to kill us, aren't you?" Sammy asked him angrily. "How are we supposed to do this without being able to see?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out, if you want to survive." Chris chuckled. "Hope you memorized the layout, cuz the lights are going out in three-two-one- _now_!"

And so they did - the TV switched off, and the room was plunged into darkness once more. Both girls groaned in frustration - Chris was having a bit _too_ much fun with this challenge, Sammy figured. "I guess there's nothing we can do except go forward." She had an approximate idea of where the edge was, and she slowly began edging towards it.

"Be careful," Ella said. Her grip on Sammy's hand tightened.

"Of course."

Sammy found the path, and the two of them made their way along it. Rather than risk misstepping, they dragged their feet across it, turning when needing to. It was stressful work, as the path couldn't have been more than a foot wide. There was once where Sammy did nearly fall, but Ella managed to catch her just before it happened.

After the first couple of turns, Ella spoke up. "Um… Hey."

"Hey? What's up?" Sammy asked, feeling her foot reach an edge and redirecting their direction.

"I think… Um…"

 _She's hesitating._ "It's okay, say what's on your mind. No judgement."

"Okay, thank you. Um… I think I'm ready to talk now."

Sammy stopped, and though neither of them could see each other she turned back. "Talk? Uh… not to sound rude about it but… _now_?"

"It's a bad time, I know, but… well, I've been thinking it over since yesterday, and I do want to share it with you. That said, I didn't want anyone else overhearing, and since we're alone…"

"Ah. No, that's fair." Sammy swallowed. Sammy had been waiting for the explanation, but the timing was just a little unfortunate. Still, she wasn't about to tell her no, not when she said she was ready now. "Take your time with it. And if you need to stop for whatever reason, you stop, okay?"

"Okay." Ella sucked in a large breath, and took her time exhaling it. "So. Um." Now her breathing was quickening, but Sammy squeezed her hand to calm her, and she squeezed right back. "I…"

"Go on. I'm right here."

"Yes, thank you. My… Well. There's quite a bit to this. Let me just start from the beginning."

"Oh, uh, okay. Whatever you feel is best."

She gave one last sigh and began. "Well… My father and mother don't exactly… get along all that great. Most days they're civil and they can talk to each other just fine, but sometimes they'll get into… arguments. Rather heated ones."

Sammy already didn't like where this was going. "I… see."

"And usually it's over something not worth arguing about, something so simple that there's really no need. But it doesn't matter how trivial it is. It always, without fail, gets… bad."

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but… how bad?"

"Bad enough that they could be arguing for hours. By the end of it, they'll have forgotten what the argument was about and it would end up being about almost anything. Truthfully I don't think they care what the purpose was, I think they just want to insult each other and bring the other down. And once they finally stop, even though they'll try to go about the rest of their day afterwards, they'll do it by giving each other the silent treatment and completely ignoring each other. If either were to talk, it would just be to trade insults, at which point the arguing resumes. It's… always loud. And frightening. And every time it happens, I never know what to do."

This was something Sammy was afraid of. Bullies were one thing, but parents were another. Home was somewhere where you should feel _safe_ , and to be afraid of what could happen when actually there wasn't okay in the slightest. The emotional turmoil Ella must have gone through every time an argument sprang up would have to be so painful and… damaging. "Is that how you started… well, you know…"

Ella knew what she was implying. "No, actually."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes, really. That came later, and is only somewhat related to my parents."

"But your parents were… _are_ , upsetting you, right?"

"Well, yes, but they don't go out of their way to hurt me or drag me into the arguments. They love me, even if they don't really show it through words."

"What do you mean by that?"

"They buy me things, gifts and stuffed toys to decorate my room with. But… that's about it, really. I know they love me, but many of the conversations I have with them are strained."

Communication was key to any sturdy relationship, whether friendships, romantic partners, or family members. Living under the roof with two people she couldn't be comfortable around would have to be incredibly stressful for anyone, no matter how upbeat they were. Sammy knew that from first hand experience. "That must be awful."

"Some days it's okay. Other's it isn't."

"Is there anyone you can talk to about it?"

"No. I'm an only child, as are both of my parents. No other family to speak of. I also don't exactly have many friends back home… or, rather, _any_ friends, but I'll get to that in a bit. And the neighbors… well. You might not believe this, but I live in one of the seedier parts of my town."

"Seriously?" That was the last thing she was expecting to hear her say. Honestly, Sammy thought Ella lived in a mansion, or at least an upper-class home with the way she talked and acted.

"Yes. In an apartment where the walls are so thin everyone can hear you speak, let alone scream at others. And despite this… no one really cares. I bet most of them enjoy listening to whatever nonsense my parents yell about. It's just that kind of place."

"But… But that's _not_ okay though. Aren't you able to like, call child services or something? Have them help sort out the problem?"

Ella hesitated for just a fraction of a second. "I don't think that would do any good. They're not physically abusing me, so…"

"But there's more than one kind of abuse. And in this case they're emotionally and mentally harming you. So if you call them, you might-"

"But that's the thing," she interrupted, sharper than she normally talked. "I don't _want_ to call them."

"You… don't?"

"No. My situation isn't very great, it's true. But if child services _do_ come and choose to take me away, I don't know what would happen or where I'll go. And I don't _want_ to know. I'm too afraid of finding out."

"So, what then, you're just going to grin and bear it?"

"No, I didn't say that! I- _Whoa!_ " All of a sudden Ella's balance shifted, and she nearly fell off the path. Sammy was quick enough to catch her and stop her from falling, but they were both reminded of their current situation.

"Are you okay?" Sammy asked quickly.

"Y-Yes, I am. Thank you." Once they were perfectly balanced, Ella huffed. "Perhaps we should just reach the end before I say anymore."

"Yeah, good idea," Sammy agreed. Feeling for the direction the path was going in, she led the way to the end of the room. Aside from a few more missteps, it wasn't all that exciting, and nothing was said between the two until they reached the end of the winding path. When they did, they rested for a bit to catch their breath and rejoice that they made it to ground wider than their shoes. Once they were ready, Sammy found the wall and put her hand up to it, Ella took a hold of her other hand, and the two set off once more.

"So, um, you were saying?" Sammy asked, resuming the conversation.

"Right." Ella took another deep breath. "So, I've sort of been… content, I guess, with keeping things how they are. Mom and Dad focus on each other and leave me alone when it happens, and aside from that everything is tolerable. I'm able to ignore them for the most part, with watching movies on my laptop with headphones and the volume turned right up. It blocks out the arguing, thankfully. Or if they leave soon after they're done, I'm able to sing to my heart's content and focus on that more than anything else. But… therein lies another problem."

"And that is…?"

"I've been using singing and movies as an escape for so long that I think it's begun to define who I am."

"…Huh." Sammy wouldn't lie, she could see where Ella was coming with that. It wasn't lost on her (and probably anyone) that Ella's behavior, personality and sense of fashion were… unique, more so than anyone she had ever met. The way she spoke, the way she acted… You could easily just put her in a fairy tale and she'd be right at home. "I, uh, think you may be right about that."

"Mm."

"But I don't think that's all _that_ bad. It's who you are. As long as you're happy with who you are, it should be okay. Right?"

"That's just it. I don't know if I _am_ happy with who I am."

"…Oh."

"I mean, please don't get me wrong. Disney movies, and fairy tales, and fantasy books… Breaking out into song and singing my favorite ones when I need to brighten my mood… I love it all, to death in fact. I can get so caught up in watching movies or reading stories that I lose myself in their worlds. I wouldn't give up my love for it all for almost anything. But… I think I use it all as an escape from reality a bit too much."

"Ah… Now I understand."

"Mom and Dad don't really care. They still buy me so much stuff related to my interests, sort of as a peace offering for how much they argue, but otherwise they don't worry about it or talk about it." She paused. "I've been thinking it's because they're proud of me for when I go to the children's hospital to sing, so they just leave me alone and don't say anything else about it."

"I see… I mean, it's good they're proud of you, but that doesn't excuse the fact that they're hurting you by fighting with each other."

"I know. And it's because of their arguments that I engross myself too much into my hobbies, to try and get away from it all."

"Have you ever wondered why they're still together, if they argue so much? Not to make that sound like an insensitive question, but…"

"No, it's fine. I _have_ wondered, yes, but I haven't had the courage to ask them yet. I start to worry that a question like that might set them off again, so I keep it to myself."

"I see."

"So, ah…" She cleared her throat. "Right. Like I said, I tend to get a bit too captivated by my interests. And… unfortunately, that has sort of bled out into school."

"…Oh, I… I think I know where this is going."

Ella breathed deeply again, several times in fact. This was probably the hardest part for her to recall. "Unlike my parents, who don't comment on them, the other kids at school like to mock me for my interests. They say a girl my age shouldn't be obsessing over children's movies, shouldn't be singing as much as I do. Sometimes I think that maybe they're right, but then I remind myself _why_ I like these kinds of things."

"And, why do you?"

"Easy. They're just so… idyllic."

"I… Idyllic?"

"Like… ideal. Beautiful, picturesque. I like watching these sorts of movies because they're… they're how I want life to be. I sing about positive experiences and happy times because that's what helps me ignore the bad. That's why I find myself so entranced by it all. But nobody else sees it that way, and so they like to make fun of me for liking them. And that mocking sometimes turns worse." She shuddered, and Sammy could feel Ella's hand tightening around hers. " _Very_ worse. Um… Remember back during the balloon challenge, when I was able to duck under Sugar's balloon even when I was right in front of her?"

"I do, but what does that have to do- Oh. Oh no."

"Sometimes when the other students get a bit too rowdy, they like to throw things. I've… gotten good at dodging them."

"Oh my _god_ …" So not only was it her parents, but her classmates too. Sammy couldn't fully relate to that - it was really only Amy and her friends-at-the-time who bullied her, and Mom was always so busy with work that she never had the time to deal with the two of them - but she knew how difficult it must have been. Two of the places she'd go to each and every day were so unwelcoming for her… How on earth was she able to be so cheerful all the time? Sammy decided to ask just that.

"Like I said, I use my interests as an escape," Ella explained. "When I'm fully immersed in a movie or a book, or when I've found a good song to sing, I'm able to… forget. Forget everything bad that happens on a regular basis. It just gets too painful, so taking myself out of it has become my go-to method of dealing with it. And I guess I just try to be that way in real life as well. Not that it works all the time."

"It seemed to be working a lot on the island," Sammy noted. _Maybe not_ recently _, but still._

"Yeah, well. New place, new people. I could act the way I wanted to act and no one could stop me."

"Is… Is any of it fake? The way you act, I mean?" She realized that the thought of Ella pretending to be cheerful all the time just to keep up appearances was a terrifying concept.

"What? No, absolutely not," she said firmly. "The person who joined Total Drama and got to meet you and become your friend is who I really am on the inside. I just… lean a bit too heavily on that part of myself, I guess. It's easy for me to get lost in the joy I feel when watching movies or believing I'm in one." And then she began to speak quieter, just barely above a whisper. "But then there are times when simply watching and believing aren't enough, when the things going on are far too painful to forget. The memories and thoughts just break through my concentration, and I find myself drifting away from what's on the screen or constantly messing up the words to a song. That's when I… find other ways to ease the pain."

Ella fell silent, and Sammy did as well. She had _no_ idea what to say to that. It wasn't like she had any point of reference to base this on - she barely had anyone to talk to about anything, let alone something as delicate a topic as this.

"Can we stop for a moment, please?" Ella suddenly asked after another few moments of walking.

"Oh, uh, sure," Sammy replied. "Maybe not for _too_ long though…"

"I know." Ella pressed her back against the wall, and slid down to the ground. She didn't let go of Sammy's hand, so the blonde found herself sitting down as well. "When it gets too painful and forgetting doesn't help, cutting does. When I do go through with it, it doesn't last long. And I feel regretful about it afterwards, but… for those few moments, everything feels like it's going to be okay." She let out a strained breath, trying to calm herself down. "No more arguing… no more bullying… just me and my ideal world."

Sammy wasn't disregarding the seriousness of her doing it, but… she supposed she was able to see where Ella was coming from. If it was a way for her to deal with her problems, then she understood why she would do it and keep doing it. "Does it ever… like… get out of hand?"

"No. At least, I don't think so." Sammy could just barely make out Ella raising her arm up and staring at it. "I know it's not healthy, I really do. That's one of the reasons I hide it, I guess. Keeping it out of sight let's me forget about that, too, and I can be myself in peace." She let out another big sigh. "That said, I still get the urge whenever something really bad happens. I keep trying to ignore it, but it always happens sooner or later. I don't know what else to do… and up until now, I've had no one to talk to about this."

"So… I'm the first?"

"Yes. There's no one else in my life I could trust with this. I'm afraid that if I told Mom and Dad they'll get upset and blame each other. And I don't know if I could go to a guidance counselor about this and not have child services come because of them. Besides, I'd really rather not make a scene about it, so…"

"I understand… I think." _She really should've told_ someone _, but at the same time…_ "I'm glad you were able to trust me with this."

There was a pause. "May I be honest?"

Sammy unconsciously felt her stomach drop. "O-Of course."

But her worries vanished when Ella rested her head on her shoulder. "I think at this point, I'd trust you with my life."

Her cheeks burning red was becoming a bit of a repeated occurrence by now. "O-Oh. I'd… I'd trust you with _my_ life, too."

Ella practically snuggled into her shoulder. "I'm sure you would."

She was very flattered that Ella would place her trust in her, but there was still one thing she wanted to ask. "Did you say you thought of a way to, like, deal with this? Just before you almost fell on the little path."

Sammy felt a nod on her shoulder. "I did. It's quite simple actually: I'm just going to stop pretending everything is okay when it's not."

"Oh. Yeah?"

"Yes. I… say it's simple, but in practice it will be difficult, no doubt. But I can't keep losing myself to the movies and books and songs. I need to realize that hiding away isn't going to make anything change, and to help me realize that, I need to actually _stop_ hiding away. I… I don't think I will be able to give up my love for it all entirely. But I can certainly tone down the amount of time I spend doing them, and to actually confront my parents when they argue so that I don't fall back into old habits."

Sammy couldn't help but be incredibly impressed by this decision. _Oh wow. That's actually really mature of her. To choose to do that takes real courage_ … _And here I thought I'd have to try and persuade her to get out of the mindset._ "That's amazing, Ella. I'm so proud of you for wanting to do this."

"Thank you. I'm rather proud, myself."

"What was it that made you decide to do this, though? Something tells me this is a new discovery for you."

"You're right, it is. And the reason… is you."

Her brain had trouble processing that, but once it finally clicked Sammy was shocked. "Wh- _Me_? Why me?"

"Because you're an inspiration to me, of course."

"I- _What_? No way. Me?" _I inspire someone? That makes no sense. I'm just…_ me _._

Ella giggled lightly. "Yes, you are, silly! I told you earlier this morning, you've come so far since day one! Being able to change yourself for the better, to stand up after being knocked down for so long… It's because of you that I think I can change as well. I think… you might actually be an inspiration for a lot of young girls, once this show airs."

Sammy found it hard to admit, but maybe Ella had a point. She certainly was beginning to open up more to others, to face down her personal demons, and to become her own person. If she was able to help other people around the globe stand up for themselves against their oppressors, then that would probably make a lot of the crap she had dealt with up til now worth it. _Although once word gets out that I'm gay, a lot of angry moms might have something to say about that._ Instead of voicing her thoughts out loud, she instead said, "You know, maybe you're right. If someone can take away my experiences here as inspiration for their own growth, then I'd be pretty okay with that."

Ella laughed even harder. "Someone already _did_ , you dork."

It took her a distressingly long time to realize she was talking about herself. "…Oops." _Way to get wrapped up in your own head and forget yourself there, me._ The two of them continued to laugh, and at some point during it Sammy boldly chose to lay her head on Ella's. "So when you said a few days ago that you wanted to imagine yourself being a hero…"

"I was imagining you, yes. I believe I've already said it, but… I just wanted to thank you again for diving in and saving me that day. That wasn't the most pleasant time of my life…"

"I bet. But I wasn't just going to let you drown, you're like… so incredible yourself. I, uh, was talking with Sky about this earlier that day, actually, and you're sort of like… my own inspiration, you know."

Ella released a breathy laugh. "Me? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. When we first got to the island, I was still my old self, fearing that everyone was out to get me. But then you just sort of burst into my life, full of optimism and hope and… You're honestly the kind of person I could only dream of being. And, I know you said you'd been pushing yourself to be like that, but I think with what you told me just now… I think I want to be like you even more."

"That's… really flattering, actually," she said. "If that's the case, it's also kind of funny. I inspired you to change, and your change inspired _me_ to change."

"Ha! That _is_ kinda funny, how that worked out. …Hey, listen, if you need it, I can help you with trying to focus more on real life. Just say the word and we can meet up after the show's over and work on that. Possibly. If you'd like."

Another sigh escaped Ella's lips, but this time it was full of contentment. "I'd _love_ that."

 _Oh thank god she said yes._ "Good. I'm… really glad to hear that."

They stayed that way for another little while, just basking in each other's presence. Soon, Ella pulled away and stood up. "We should probably get going. Who knows where the others could be?"

"Yeah, you're right." Sammy stood as well, pressing her hand against the wall to steady herself… "If we end up coming in last again because of us, I don't-" …and nearly toppled over when the wall pressed _inward_. "-knoww _wwhat the hell?!_ "

Sammy backed up from it, and Ella followed suit. "W-What? What's wrong? What happened?!"

"I dunno, I just… I just sort of pushed the wall in?! I think?"

"What do you _mean_ , you pushed in the wall?!"

"I… I don't know! I _wish_ I knew-"

Suddenly Ella clamped her hands over Sammy's mouth. "Shush a second! Hear that?"

In the silence that followed, Sammy did hear something, but not what she was expecting. Instead of the typical cave-like noises, like the dripping of water or bats, there was a sort of… mechanical whirring. She couldn't tell what it was, so just in case she pulled Ella close to keep her out of harm's way. With this island being as weird as it was, who knew what it could be?

Suddenly there was a blinding light, and both girls grunted and covered their eyes. Nothing bad or painful happened, but it took a good minute or so before Sammy's eyes could adjust to the light. And when they finally did, she had to double take at the source of it.

"A… _computer?_ "

A monitor and a keyboard, of _all_ things, had been brought out from the cave wall, with wires going back through the newly revealed opening. It was _very_ much un-cave-like, and Sammy had a _million_ questions as to why it was there.

Ella did as well. "Why would there be a computer in a cave? A working computer, no less?"

"Not just in the cave, in the cave _walls_. I _knew_ something was up with this island…"

"You've mentioned that before. Could this have something to do with it?"

This was the first time Sammy had a chance to look at Ella since she started speaking about everything. She _looked_ fine, but the tear streaks on her cheeks and her somewhat disheveled hair told her that recalling all of that was difficult for her. Sammy was now even more thankful she trusted her with that information. "I don't know. I'm… going to take a look."

"Be careful."

"I will."

Approaching it didn't cause any defense systems to come on. Neither did putting her hands on the keyboard. Computers weren't exactly her forte, especially if they didn't have a mouse, but Sammy was able to navigate through the screens after a little trial and error. She couldn't make heads or tails about what she was looking at, though - it was all written in code and jargon she wasn't familiar with. "I'm really not sure what I'm looking at here," she said, tapping the down arrow key to keep the wall of text going. She took a second to read more carefully. "There's like… words saying 'automatic', 'cave', 'corridor'… Wait, 'crocodile'? Why's that here?"

"Maybe don't do anything with that one," Ella suggested.

"Yeah, that's probably for the best. Uh, there's also 'dark', with the word 'yes' highlighted next to it."

"Huh. And there's a 'no' by it as well… Hey, try selecting that."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, trust me on this. I think I know what will happen."

"Okay then." Getting her cursor over 'no', Sammy hit enter and watched in amazement as the cave miraculously lit up around them. Lights came on in segments, starting from the direction they came and off in the direction they were headed.

"Whoa!" Sammy was honestly more than surprised. "That was… _awesome!_ How'd you know that?"

Ella shrugged, giving her an 'I dunno' noise. "It just seemed obvious to me."

"Well, not to me. Does this mean the whole cave is a machine? And hooked up to this computer? What else is on here?"

Hitting the arrow key down again, she noticed that the next word was 'exit'.

"'Exit'? Could that be our way out?" Sammy asked after telling Ella. "I mean, it seems pretty weird, to have to select it from a computer…"

"But if it gets us outside quicker, we have a better shot at winning!" Ella replied. "Let's press it!"

"That's true. Alright, pressing the exit button." She hit the 'yes' next to it, and immediately another mechanical sound rang out, this time from almost directly above them. A circular hole opened up, pouring down more light, and this time it was brighter and seemed more natural than anything they had seen so far. A ladder slid down and planted itself into the ground, allowing the two access back to the surface.

"Oh, sweet!" Sammy cheered, grabbing hold of the ladder. "This is our ticket out of here!"

"Wonderful! Let's leave this dreadful place-" Ella paused, cleared her throat, and tried again. "I mean… _Awesome!_ Let's leave this… _cruddy_ place behind!"

Sammy couldn't help herself and started laughing. "Ella, I'm sorry, but that sounded _so_ forced."

She crossed her arms and tipped her nose up. "Well, I have to start _somewhere_."

 _Oh my god. She's adorable when she pouts._ "Fair. Now c'mon, let's go."


	10. The Ol' Switcheroo

"We're almost there!" Sammy cried out to Ella below her. They had been climbing for a nice bit now - _Chris said something about 140 feet earlier, right?_ \- and though she was starting to tire out, getting closer and closer was reinvigorating her drive to actually _get out_. "Just keep going!"

"I'm… I'm doing my best!" Ella called. She was definitely more tuckered out than Sammy was, being the non-athlete of the two, but she was keeping pace pretty well. Sammy had to give her props for that.

Another few minutes of climbing, they finally made it, but something was off. There was this thing covering the top of the hole, something made of cloth and colored in a weird beige pattern. "W-What is this?" Sammy asked, reaching her hand out for it. When it felt easy enough to move, she did just that, tossing it aside and giving herself the chance for freedom. " _Finally!_ " she shouted, popping her head up out of the hole.

Only to see eight other faces staring at her in surprise. Before her stood the others in groups of two - Jasmine and Topher were covered in dirt and various amounts of scratch marks, Shawn and Sky were also covered in an off-color dirt and were wet from head to toe, Amy and Scarlett looked… none the worse for wear, really, and Chris and Chef were right in front of her, the latter strangely wearing a gas mask.

"…Wait, are we the last to get here?" Sammy asked after doing a headcount. " _Seriously?_ "

"What's wrong?" Ella asked, almost directly beneath her. "C-Can you hurry? My arms are hurting…"

"Oh, crap, sorry!" Sammy clambered out of the hole and helped her friend up the last couple of rungs. She immediately fell to the ground to try and catch her breath, and Sammy did the same though she chose to sit instead of lie. It vaguely occurred to Sammy that she had pushed aside Chris's lawn chair and that the hole had coincidentally opened up directly beneath him, but she didn't dwell on that for too long.

"Elevators, secret tunnels, _the confessional_ …!" Chris was saying rather heatedly, though Sammy wasn't sure what he was going on about. "Look, I don't care how many times you ask, none of you won!"

"There's no winner?" Sammy whispered to Ella, who just shrugged from the ground.

"I said 'the first team to _cross the finish line_ ', and _none_ of you did!" He gestured off to the side, where a cave entrance with an actual finish line was sitting and waiting for someone to cross it. "You all skipped dozens of awesome challenges! We don't even have enough footage for an episode!" With arms crossed, Chris looked like he was seconds away from a temper tantrum. "You're _all_ disqualified! This whole episode's a _bust_!"

"Wait, if the episode is a bust…" Scarlett was saying, a finger on her chin.

"Does that mean there's no elimination?!" Amy finished for her, practically shoving her out of the way to ask it.

"No elimination?! Alright!" Sky shouted, prompting cheers from the rest of the contestants, Sammy included. Ella tried as well, but her arms flopped right back down back to the ground in exhaustion.

"Ohhh no," Chris said over them, causing their cheers to stop. "There _will_ be an elimination tonight. And this time, you're _all_ expected to be there." With a dark chuckle both he and Chef walked off, leaving the campers to themselves.

"I don't like the way he said that," Jasmine said, though rather than dwell on it she started to walk off.

"It's probably going to be a bogus elimination," Topher said with a shrug, following behind her. "Probably another intern if it really isn't one of us. Seriously, Chris needs to start thinking in the long-term and give us something _juicy_. His methods recently have been _so_ lack-luster."

"That's odd, coming from you," Jasmine replied. "Aren't you supposed to be one of Chris's biggest fans or something?" The rest of the conversation went unheard as they walked too far away from Sammy to hear them.

"How are you guys?" Sky then asked, coming up to her and Ella with Shawn in tow. "I wasn't expecting to get separated right at the start like that."

"Yeah, it was pretty crazy when everything started falling all around us," Sammy said.

"S-Sorry about that," Ella said. "I… don't gracefully throw up."

"Hey it's not your fault, we get it." Sky leaned forward to talk better with the two, but it was at that point that Sammy's nostrils began _burning._

"Ew, _gross_!" she cried and recoiled away from them. "Why do you guys smell like crap?!"

Sky backed up somewhat, aware of her positioning, and Shawn winced a bit at the question. "Technically, it _is_."

"What do you-" And Sammy recoiled even more. "Eugh, _the confessional?!_ "

"Yyyep. I…" Sky let out a long, drawn out sigh. "…need a bath. _Desperately._ "

The two of them took off after that, and Sammy made sure that Sky wasn't planning on taking that bath at the waterfall. Sammy stuck around with Ella as she regained her breath and use of her arms, but it didn't take too long until they were approached by other people.

"How did you two access this secret tunnel and ladder?" Scarlett asked, inspecting the inside of the hole. "It goes an awfully long way down. And you climbed the whole way up?"

"Yeah," Sammy answered evenly, trying to not let her distaste for the redhead come through. "We, uh, we found a computer, and-"

Scarlett's head instantly shot up towards her. "A _computer_ , you say?"

She flinched at the sudden movement. "Uh… yeah. I accidentally pushed a button on the wall, I guess, and the wall opened up and a computer slid out. We used it and managed to open the passage, and made our way up."

"I see… Fascinating indeed." She said no more, and walked away with a hand on her chin.

Amy, who walked up with her, stuck around. After making sure Scarlett received a scathing glare to the back of her head, Sammy said to her sister, "What was that about an elevator?"

"We found one," she said simply. "There was this robot crocodile or whatever, and Scarlett cooked up a remote with its insides that opened up the elevator door. We came out just behind that boulder over there."

 _Oh, so_ that's _what the crocodile was for._ "Does she still have the remote? She might be able to uncover something else about the island."

Amy sucked in a sharp breath. "I sorta… smashed it."

Sammy blinked. "… _Why?_ "

"'Cuz she said something that pissed me off."

"Oh. Well, there goes that idea."

"What does it matter, anyway? We didn't win and now we're gonna suffer for it."

"Ah, yeah. That sucks." _Is it just me, or is it getting easier to talk to her? It's…_ weird _. But not necessarily in a bad way._

"Yeah, it does." Amy looked down at Sammy once more. It honestly seemed like she wanted to say something, as she was gripping her sleeve rather fiercely, almost like she was trying to force herself to do it. But in the end, she sighed and turned away. "You look like shit. As usual."

 _Aaand we're back to square one. Hooray._ "Gee, thanks. You're not looking so hot yourself, either."

"At least I look better than you!"

"At least _I_ don't care about that." She stood up and stared down her sister at eye level. "You know, if you stopped worrying about your appearance and trying to be better than me so much, maybe you'd be able to live a happier life."

The look of shock Amy had was a surprise to even Sammy, but not the murderous glare that she put on soon after. "You little _bitch!_ " She gripped the front of Sammy's shirt and pulled her closer. "You think you know me so well, huh?! You think you know enough about me to tell me how my life sucks?!"

"I'm not trying to insult you!" Sammy insisted. "I'm just-"

" _I don't care!_ " Spittle flew out of her mouth and sprayed onto Sammy's cheek. "You have no _right_ to say that to me! _I_ am the better twin, and you're the twin who has to _respect me_!"

"Respect? _Ha!_ " Sammy shot back. "Maybe actually do something respectable for once and I'll consider it!"

" _You piece of-_ " She wound up for a punch, and Sammy fully braced herself for it.

" _Enough!_ "

A pale hand in a red sleeve stopped the blow before it connected, and Amy stared in astonishment as Ella did her best to keep it from moving. It didn't stop completely, as Ella was clearly the weaker one here, but it was enough for Amy to yank it away after a few seconds. "You stay _out_ of this, puffball! This is between _Spareamy_ and me!"

"You get angry with my friend, right in front of me, and don't expect me to do anything about it?" Ella asked. She was staring Amy down with anger in her eyes, but her voice remained steady and even. "Sammy was right. You've only ever attempted to demean and belittle her, and never made any friends for yourself, otherwise you would _know_ I'd be there for her. Isn't that right?"

"What are you prattling on about?" Amy asked. "Obviously I have friends!"

"She means friends who stick around with you longer than a week, before they get sick of you!" Sammy countered, ripping her sister's hand off her shirt and wiping the spit off her cheek. "And don't tell me you have a 'secret friend group' or some sort of BS like that. We _both_ know that isn't true in the slightest."

She tried to respond to that, but between the sputtering and quick, frenzied breaths, nothing coherent came out. She looked between Sammy and Ella, back and forth several times, her fists clenched at her side and quaking in anger. And just when Sammy was about to pull Ella away and leave Amy to herself, she spoke.

"How? Why?" She glared daggers at Ella, who managed to not flinch and hold her ground. "How is it that good for nothing Spareamy gets people to back her up, gets actual _friends_ to stick by her side? She's useless! A good-for-nothing! She…" Her breathing quickened even more. "She doesn't _deserve_ to have anyone like her!"

Ella gasped and took a step forward, but Sammy held her shoulder and moved in front of her. "Answer me this," she said firmly. "If I shouldn't have friends… why don't _you?_ You've said it yourself before - _you're_ the popular one. _You're_ the pretty one. So why are you still alone? Why haven't you been able to make any friends this whole time?"

Amy's eyes twitched in raw fury, and she looked ready to tackle Sammy to the ground. Sammy knew she was agitating her sister, and was ready for anything that Amy was going to throw at her.

Or so she thought.

That's when Amy, suddenly, without warning, deflated.

"Because I don't know _how_."

It wasn't an answer Sammy was expecting, and she was thrown completely off guard by how _sincere_ and _defeated_ it was. Amy never admitted to weakness. Sammy only knew of the Amy who was overconfident and whose ego was triple the size of her head. But to have her sister, her personal demon, honestly say that she didn't know how to do something was… scary. She should've been thrilled that Amy was stepping off her high horse. Instead she just felt unsettled.

Amy had lost her composure entirely. She started sniffing loudly and her eyes became wet, which she hastily and roughly rubbed away with the sleeve of her arm. She sent one final glare to Sammy - though there was barely anything behind it - and she walked away, alone, without another word.

When she was gone, Ella slipped her hand in Sammy's and squeezed. "Come on. Let's go back."

"Yeah…" She wasn't sure what to make of this. But for some reason… she felt sad. And she didn't know what to do with that feeling. _Something tells me it's going to be harder to ignore Amy from here on out._

* * *

"As you can see," Chris started once everyone was settled in the elimination area. "I had a special reward planned." He directed everyone towards Chef, who pulled a white sheet off a table to reveal a genuine smorgasbord of food - steak, full chickens, linked sausages, fish, all piping hot and ready to be eaten and so _infuriatingly tempting_.

"Food," Sammy breathed, her mouth beginning to salivate. "Real, actual, properly cooked _food_."

"Don't let it lure you in," Jasmine told her, sitting alongside her on the log. "The only reason Chris would show us this would be to get our hopes up before dashing them."

"Huh," Chris said, his smirk in full force. "I must be losing my touch. Because she's right: tonight's elimination goes to… _this dinner!_ Chef?"

Chef Hatchet, with a grin just as evil as Chris's, doused the entire buffet with gasoline, lit a match, and threw it onto the table. Everything went up in flames, instantly burning all of the food and sending it up in smoke, just like Sammy's hopes and dreams. Everyone groaned out in frustration, and she swore she heard a few stomachs growling at the sight.

"Now!" Chris said once the food was done cooking and burning. "There's another reason why I called you all here this evening, and it has to do with the teams."

"What's wrong with the teams?" Topher asked.

"Nothing per se, but they've been a bit too… how should I say… _friendly_ lately."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Sky asked. She and Shawn had their baths, but Sky's was a bit more thorough than Shawn's. The stench had all but vanished from them, thankfully.

"It means exactly what I said! There's not enough drama! And as you all know, _drama_ is our lifeblood! So I think a little team shuffling is in order to get things back up to speed."

Sammy's anxiety spiked through the roof, and she shared a frightful look with Ella.

"I'd spent most of the day trying to come up with the perfect solution to this unique problem," he continued, pacing in front of the contestants. "But in the end, there was really only one good answer. And thus, without further ado…"

Ella's hand once again found its way into Sammy's, who was thankful for the comfort. _This could make or break our entire game… God, please don't be me, please don't be me, please don't-_

"Let's go ahead and have ourselves a good ol' fashioned _twin switch_!"

" _NOOOOO!_ " Sammy yelled, leaping to her feet.

"Aw, man!" Shawn exclaimed. "Why do we have to get saddled with _her_?" He sent an accusing finger towards Amy, but the only thing she did was grit her teeth and look away.

"Because I said so! And the host's word is law in these parts." Chris gave Sammy and her sister meaningful looks. "Amy. Samey. I'd tell you to pack your bags, but you don't have any. So go ahead and swap seats!"

 _This can't be happening. This_ can't _be happening! This isn't fair at all!_ _What did I do to deserve this?!_

"Sammy… Sammy! Please, calm down."

She turned to Ella, who had also risen and was staring into her eyes. "B-But they're making me go!" she yelled. The tears were already threatening to fall, and her heart rate had increased dramatically. She was having a panic attack, and her mind was too flustered to do anything about it. "I don't _want_ to go!"

"I know, I know, but it's okay!" she said as calmly as she could. "You're not eliminated, you're just going to the other side of the island! You're still here, I'm still here… Everything is okay!"

"But everything is _not_ okay! I don't- I don't-" Her breathing hitched, uncontrollable even to her. "I don't want to be without you!"

If Sammy had been in the right mind, she would've noticed the tinge of red on Ella's cheeks. But her mind was elsewhere, and the sight went unnoticed. "Sammy, you will _not_ be without me. This doesn't change anything. The only thing this is changing is where you're sleeping at night. Everything will be _fine._ Okay?"

"But- But I can't- But I _won't-_ "

" _Samantha!_ " she near shouted, forcing Sammy to shut her mouth. "Breathe with me. Please."

Ella had grabbed a hold of her cheeks and was staring into her eyes, and if anything that probably made her start breathing _faster_. But, she did as she was told and slowed her breathing to match Ella's, and slowly but surely her separation-induced anxiety attack subsided.

"Okay," she said, a bit more calmly than before. "I'm okay now. I think."

Ella's hands moved from her cheeks to her shoulders. "You'll be fine. I know you will."

"Mm. Thank you." Sammy was about to go in for a tearful parting hug, but two large, stone-like arms reached around her and hauled her away. "Ah- Wait, no!"

"C'mon, we have an episode to finish!" Chris yelled at her impatiently.

Chef Hatchet sat Sammy down in the seat Amy had previously been sitting in. As he was doing so, she thought she heard a deep whisper that sounded vaguely like, 'Sorry 'bout that,' but she wasn't entirely sure.

Chef walked away, and Sammy immediately turned back to see Amy had already taken her spot on the log next to Ella, who had scooted over as far to the end as she could without falling off. Both of them looked _incredibly_ uncomfortable.

The swapping of the seats was only superficial, and seemed to serve the purpose of closing out the episode, as not long after Sammy was set down did Chris sign off and give everyone the go-ahead to go back to their camps.

Once the host and the cook were out of the area, Sammy felt herself once more suddenly dogpiled, but this time in the form of affectionate hugs from Ella and Sky. "Are you gonna be alright?" Sky asked her.

"I… I really don't know," Sammy replied, her head still attempting to wrap around everything. "But I guess I don't have a choice."

"Leave it to Chris to break us up like that, though," Sky grumbled. "No offence, but I really don't see how we're going to be able to trust your sister."

"Oh, no offence taken," Sammy said, "I know full well that she can be pretty awful. Just… don't let her get under your skin, okay?"

"Of course. And don't worry, if we lose tomorrow, we know exactly who we're voting off."

Sammy was surprised at the amount of mixed feelings she had at that statement. Still, best not to let it show. "Awesome. Thank you. Oh, Sky, random question. Do you still, uh, have Beardo's beatboxing CD?"

"Uh… I think so? Why?"

"Next chance we get, could I have it? It… probably sounds ridiculous, but that way it'll feel like we're all still here."

Sky smiled at her. "Yes, for sure. Maybe tomorrow after the challenge?"

"Yeah, that'd be great! Thanks!"

The trio let go of each other then. Sky wished her good luck, and started down the path back to their camp. _Which is now no longer my camp… Geez._

Shawn came up then, looking rather awkward. "Uh… Sorry it ended up like this," he said.

Sammy shrugged sadly. "It is what it is, I suppose."

"Listen, I'll…" He took a look down the path, where they spotted Jasmine leaning against a tree, waiting for her, it seemed. He leaned in closer to Sammy, but not too close since this was Shawn and all. "I'll try talking to her tomorrow. I couldn't work up the courage today, but tomorrow is definitely going to be the day."

Sammy grinned lopsidedly at him. "I know you got this."

"Thanks," he said, and offered her a fist bump, which she gratefully accepted. "Good luck out there."

"You too."

He took off on his own after that, leaving only herself and Ella at the campfire. "So… I suppose this is it," Ella said sadly.

 _Oh, please don't look like that…! I'll start crying myself, again._ "Yeah, I guess so." Sammy stood, taking Ella's hands in hers. "But… it'll be fine. Now that I think about it, tomorrow's the eighth day, so we should be coming to the merge soon, right?"

That seemed to give Ella some hope. Odd how it was her comforting Sammy, and now it was the other way around. "You're right. We'll be back together again soon, I'm sure."

"Just don't go getting voted off before then, you hear?"

"The same goes for you."

They smiled at each other, and as Sammy felt her cheeks heat up, a single thought poked itself into her brain:

_Tell her._

That single thought sent everything into overdrive. _Should I actually do it? Would that make things awkward and painful, now that we're going to be separated? Maybe I should just keep it to myself until we're together again… Ohh, but now is literally the perfect opportunity! Or… maybe not… If I outed myself here, would she even still like me as a friend…?_

"You know, I still haven't gotten around to my poem," Ella interrupted, unaware of Sammy's inner turmoil.

"O-Oh, you're right, we didn't." _Aaand there goes my one opportunity. Thanks again, brain, for holding me up._

"But you know, that's okay. I want to rewrite it anyway."

"Oh, yeah? Not up to your standards anymore?"

"Not that, silly. I just… have more to write now."

"Ooh, okay. Tell me all about it once we merge?"

"Absolutely."

They shared one more hug that lasted longer than it had any right to, and Ella pulled away with a sad smile on her face. "See you later," she said quietly.

"You too," Sammy replied.

She turned away, and Sammy swore she saw the smile turn to a frown and her eyes scrunch from tears. She took off at a fast pace, but not an outright run. Sammy wanted desperately to hug her again, but before she knew it, she was gone.

With a dejected sigh, Sammy made her way towards Jasmine, still waiting by the tree. "Ready to go?" she asked.

"Yeah. Thanks for waiting for me. I, ah, don't know my way to your… _our_ camp."

"No worries." She motioned her head down the trail, and Sammy followed her down it. "Sorry about your girl. This must be rough for you."

"It is." _It's going to probably weigh me down a bit… But I can't let it affect my performance._ "But I'm going to try to give it my all tomorrow. So… try not to worry about me."

Jasmine gave her a small smile. "I understand. You do what you gotta do, but we'll be counting on you once tomorrow comes."

She nodded. "Got it."

The walk continued on in silence, and soon they reached the camp - or, rather, the treehouse. Sammy had forgotten that's what the Salmons had built back on the first day. It was shoddily put together, but it looked much more intact than the Bears' shack. A rope ladder was hanging from the railing all the way to the ground, and though Sammy had had enough of ladders for one day, there wasn't much choice but to climb it.

Jasmine wished her goodnight and scaled to the top of the tree, where another bit of rope was waiting for her on a branch. Sammy entered the girl's room and saw three beds - one a bunk bed, the other a single one on its own. Scarlett was asleep on the top bunk and, deciding that she'd rather _not_ sleep under the person who helped to electrify her best friend, made her way to the sole bed.

"I wouldn't sleep in that one if I were you," Scarlett suddenly said.

Sammy jumped a bit in surprise, having thought the redhead was already asleep. "What? Why?"

Scarlett's head was turned to the wall as she spoke. "That was Sugar's bed. Let's just say that while _she_ may be gone, she certainly left her mark behind."

Sammy looked back at the bed, sniffed once, and decided that sleeping under Scarlett didn't sound like such a bad idea after all.

She sat on the edge of the lower bunk, looking out through the window at the night sky, and wondered how her old team was getting on with Amy. _This whole situation sucks. But I gotta make the most of it. I_ need _to do good tomorrow, and however many days until the merge, so that I can be with Ella and the others again._

With a nod, she stripped down to her nightwear and slipped under the covers. It only then occurred to her that this was a _bed_ , mattress and all, and that it was _leagues_ better than the one or two blankets she slept on for the last week.

Without another thought, she passed out and entered perhaps the best sleep of her life.


	11. The Unwilling Baby-Sitters Club

An airhorn rang out from seemingly everywhere, startling Sammy awake and causing her to shoot upright out of bed with a scream.

It also caused her to _crack_ her head off of the bunk above her.

" _OW!_ " she yelled out, clutching at her forehead. She rolled onto her side, but that only caused her to fall off of the bed and onto the floor. Tangled in a heap of bed sheets, holding her head in pain and wishing it away to no effect, Sammy was vaguely aware that someone was saying something from somewhere, but she was still far too groggy to make out what was being said or who was saying it.

Once the pain began to subside, she found herself slowly falling back to sleep on the spot, but the sound of heavy footsteps and another voice caused her to stay awake longer. Realizing that _maybe_ she should be getting up, she rose and blinked. She tried rubbing out the sleep gunk that built up overnight, but it was like it was sticking around just to spite her. She squinted through it, and found herself staring at a pair of _extremely_ long legs.

Looking up, she saw Jasmine looking down at her with concerned confusion. "Hey, can you hear me?" she was saying.

"Y-Yeah," Sammy stammered, rising to her feet and nearly tripping over the bed sheets wrapped around them. "Sorry, I'm normally a heavy sleeper and I haven't been in a bed of any kind in _so_ long."

"Fair enough, I guess," Jasmine said. "Uh, just to make sure, did you hear Chris just then?"

Blinking rapidly, she asked, "Chris was here?"

"Riiight. Listen, Chris is calling for us and we don't want to be late. He's gonna make the last person to arrive eat a rotten egg. Probably literally."

 _That_ woke Sammy up. "Aw, crap. Okay, I'm awake." She shook her head free of cobwebs and smacked her cheeks a few times, and quickly put her uniform back on. "What about breakfast?"

"I got some for you right here." Jasmine patted the side of Scarlett's bed, where a basket of fruit lay ready and waiting.

"Oh, good, thank you. I'll probably have to eat and run."

"Good idea. Time for us to take off."

Jasmine literally _leapt_ off of the balcony, landing with a loud _thud_ on the ground. "Isn't that dangerous?!" Sammy shouted at her from above.

"Mate, you don't know _half_ the things I've done out in the wild," Jasmine answered. "A little leap like this is nothing for me!"

"You do seem pretty tough," Sammy yielded. "Here, catch!" She tossed the basket of fruit down after her, which Jasmine easily caught, and quickly climbed down the rope ladder. She nearly missed a step and slipped right off, but she managed to catch herself before that could happen. "And you have to climb this thing every day?" she asked upon reaching the ground.

"Eh, you'll get used to it, I'm sure," Jasmine said with a shrug. She tossed Sammy an apple and started off. "Let's go."

Sammy knew running and eating at the same time wasn't going to do her any favors, but it wasn't like she had a choice. If Chris was serious about that rotten egg thing - which, knowing Chris, he was - then she was not going _anywhere_ near it. She was lucky Jasmine was around to help her wake up, otherwise she wouldn't know what to do.

 _It's a good thing I got swapped with Amy. Imagine if I was stuck on this team with Amy, Topher_ and _Scarlett. That would honestly be my nightmare come true._

"So," Jasmine started.

Sammy swallowed the apple in her mouth and did her best to ignore the oncoming stomach cramps. "So?"

She gave Sammy a knowing glance. "Word on the block is that someone's been trying to play matchmaker."

She was halfway to taking another bite before she stopped herself. "What? Who? _Me_? No way. I've never even had an actual conversation with anyone until last week."

"That right?" Jasmine asked. "Funny. Shawn said the same thing."

Sammy groaned and threw her head back, but the groan quickly turned into a laugh. "Oh, _Shawn_ , you're not supposed to tell!" Then a thought occurred to her. "Wait. If _you're_ the one telling me this, then that means…"

"Yep." She was grinning from ear to ear. "Shawn asked me out. We've started dating!"

A squee escaped Sammy's lips before she could hold it in. "Aaah, that's incredible! I knew it was bound to happen!"

"Yeah! It actually only happened about half an hour ago. He caught me foraging and we had a serious heart-to-heart, and the next thing I know he's asking me out. You should've seen him, though, he was so adorable trying to get the words out!"

Sammy could easily picture that. "Yeah, I bet. He, uh, hasn't said or done anything weird though, has he?"

Jasmine raised a brow. "Weird how? Like, creeper weird? 'Cuz you know I can take him out in a single punch if he tries anything, right?"

"Oh, no no, nothing like _that_ , you can obviously defend yourself. I mean like, zombie weird. It's sorta like… his obsession? And I was worried it'd start getting on your nerves or something."

She hummed in thought, tilting her head from side to side. "He's seemed pretty alright when we talked earlier."

"Ehh, that's 'cuz I told him to take it easy."

"Oh! I see now. Well either way, not really. He does have that sort of look in his eye whenever it gets brought up, but I don't think it'll be an issue. I'll talk to him about it if it becomes a bit much, so don't you worry about it."

"Oh perfect, that's what I was hoping for." Sammy was so happy that it was working out for them so far. Granted, it had only been 30 minutes, but if Jasmine kept up that attitude then hopefully things would be smooth sailing for them.

" _Last one there eats a rotten egg!_ "

Sammy, _thankfully_ , managed to keep her scream on the inside for once, and simply turned her head back towards the direction of the voice. Topher was catching up to them, a smile that could rival Chris's in smugness plastered on his face. "You see? It sounds better with a more youthful inflection. Agree or strongly agree?" She was just about to ask what the _heck_ he was talking about when he ran straight into a tree.

For whatever reason, Sammy didn't think to stop to help him - instead she threw away her finished apple core and took a handful of strawberries. "You know… I sometimes forget Topher is on this team."

Jasmine drew in a sharp breath. "Not gonna lie, I do too."

"Has he even done that much to help?" she asked. "Feels like he goes under the radar kind of often."

"Aside from the odd thing here or there, he hasn't really done all that much," Jasmine admitted. "He keeps trying to impersonate Chris or something. I gave up attempting to figure out his angle a while ago."

"Really? How has he stuck around for this long?"

Jasmine shrugged. "We had bigger targets."

"I suppose. Hey, do you know anything about him and Amy? Apparently they were dating but aside from one time I haven't really seen any evidence of that."

"Who, Topher and Amy?" Jasmine asked. "They had a thing going for like, maybe a day or two? Then next thing you know, they're not even looking at each other."

"Wait, for real?" Sammy was almost certain that if either one of them would be able to hold a partner for longer, it was her sister. But then again, this entire deserted island experience had been one big streak of poking holes in Amy's lies and revealing her flaws, so perhaps this was just another one she fed to Sammy all her life. "You know, that kinda makes sense. She'd always tell me she had boys asking her out left and right and that she always turned them down, but I never actually _saw_ anyone do that, much less hear about it from anyone else. I doubt she has any real experience with guys to begin with."

"You could be right," Jasmine said. "Amy certainly seemed like the type to build herself up like that."

"She really is. I still can't believe I fell for her lies all this-" She stopped when Jasmine's words finally sunk in. "Wait, hang on. ' _Seemed_ '? Why past-tense?"

"Ohh, that's right, you haven't been around her all that much lately so you probably wouldn't know." She tossed Sammy an orange, but how she was going to peel it while running was beyond her. "The last couple of days she's been really down in the dumps for some reason. Something's been eating at her and making her all quiet and untalkative. And I don't think it's just because of Topher."

"Really? Could… it be me, then?" She got an inquisitive look from Jasmine. "I've been calling her out on her bullshit for the last week now. Is that… Could that actually be having an effect on her?" _It did feel like she'd been a lot less snappy at me. At first, at least._

"Who knows, mate," Jasmine said. "Maybe you should try talking to her normally. Assuming she's even up for it."

Sammy scoffed. "Yeah. Let me know when pigs start flying, then we'll see if she wants to talk."

By that point, they finally made it to the clearing, but somehow they lucked out and ended up being the second and third people there. Aside from Chris, Scarlett was the first to show up. "Wonderful, you've made it," she said in that semi-disinterested tone she always talked in. "I commend you for not having to eat the rotten egg." She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder, in the direction of an intern holding a very obviously green egg on a silver platter. He had a noticeable clothespin plugging his nose, and it was so bad that Sammy swore she could almost _see_ the stench.

"Oof," Jasmine winced. "Yeah, lucky us indeed."

"Wow, he _was_ being serious," Sammy mused in disgusted awe.

"I'm _always_ serious," Chris informed them. "'Cept when I'm not."

Sammy sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that checks out."

It didn't take much longer for the next set of campers to arrive, and to her surprise, it ended up being Shawn and Amy. The former skidded to a stop next to Jasmine and grinned widely at her (which was returned), while the latter came to an ungraceful stop and bent over onto her knees to catch her breath.

"I thought you said you ran," Shawn said to her.

"I _did_ ," Amy growled. Under her breath she muttered, "Once."

Shawn clicked his tongue and shook his head. "You'll never survive the apocalypse this way, you know that?"

Amy let out an even louder growl and turned to Sammy. "Does he _always_ go on like this?"

Sammy shrugged. "You'll just have to get used to it."

"Great. Just great."

Sammy turned her attention to her ex-teammate and grinned. "Hey Shawn! How's it going?" she asked slyly.

"Oh you know, pretty alright," he said evenly. "Island's safe from undead invaders, we're pretty far in the game and closer to the million, and _I got a freakin' girlfriend this morning!_ "

"That's what I was waiting to hear!" Sammy hollered, high-fiving Shawn and then Jasmine in excitement.

"Wait, _Zombie Boy's_ got a girlfriend?!" Amy nearly screeched. "Who's the idiot who hooked up with _him_?"

Shawn snorted through his nose, and Sammy had to try and hold back her own laughter. "I dunno!" she said to her sister. "Why don't you ask her?" She directed her hand behind her, and _revelled_ in how much Amy's face dropped into fright. "She's standing right here, after all."

Jasmine, deciding to play along, made a show of stretching her neck and making some rather effective cracking sounds. "Huh," she said lightly. "Guess we _still_ have a problem to work out, even after you left us."

Sammy 100% expected Amy to revert to her original, haughty self, continue to call out Jasmine and Shawn, and somehow make the whole conversation about herself. It wouldn't be the first time she'd selfishly turn it around, and Sammy figured it would likely not be the last.

But when Amy's fearful eyes looked from Jasmine to Shawn, and then Shawn to Sammy, and _didn't_ become a full on glare, she realized that something was _definitely_ just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, it was confirmed even harder when Amy looked away and muttered in the quietest voice she could manage a single, simple, "Sorry."

Sammy _stared_ , mouth open wide and too focused on her sister to care. _Amy apologized,_ she thought in disbelief. _Amy…_ apologized. _What… What just happened? Amy…_ doesn't _apologize._

The others noticed this too, but rather than look at Amy in surprise, they were staring at Sammy, perhaps looking for a reaction. She turned her back on her sister and towards Jasmine and Shawn, and with a stunned shake of her head she quietly said, "I guess this whole thing really _is_ affecting Amy."

"Thought so," Jasmine said with a nod.

"I'll try talking to her about it at some point," Sammy said. When she saw the incredulous look Shawn was giving her, she answered his unasked question. "I know more than anyone she's a witch with a capital B, but if I'm able to get through to her then maybe… maybe _she_ could change, too."

"You sure?" Shawn asked with a raised brow. "You know who you're talking about right?"

"I know," Sammy said. "But I don't think I'd forgive myself if I don't at least _try_. We'll have to see if anything comes out of it."

"Well, it's your funeral," Shawn said, shrugging. "Anyway, I have a message for you."

That was an unexpected thing to suddenly say. "A message?" Sammy repeated. "From who?"

"Sky," he said. He was looking at her as serious as he would be when talking about zombies. "It's… important."

"Uhh, I gathered that much. What's it about?"

Shawn's mouth formed a thin line, and he looked away uncomfortably. "That's… not exactly something I should be telling you."

"Huh?" _It's important, but I can't know about it?_ "What does that mean?"

"It means, just wait for them to show up," he answered.

"'Them?' Sky and Ella?"

Shawn only nodded.

Sammy blinked in confusion, and she sent the look towards Jasmine, who only shrugged. "Al…right then," Sammy said unsuredly. "I'll wait for them."

She didn't have to wait long, as both girls entered the clearing soon after. Sammy felt her chest swell at being able to see Ella again, but it soon vanished when she saw the state she was in - her hair was a mess, her eyes crooked and eyebrows skewed, and she was clutching at her arm like a lifeline. Sky didn't look much better, if the bags under her eyes were anything to go by, and that was saying nothing about the serious look on her face.

Without a word Sammy rushed up to them. "What's wrong? What happened?" she asked immediately.

Ella noticeably tensed at her arrival, which started freaking Sammy out even more. Sky looked past her at the others, and said in a hushed tone, "We should talk about this quickly. Who knows when he'll start the challenge."

"I… okay," Sammy said warily.

"So," Sky started with a sigh. "Ella snuck out last night."

Sammy blinked, looking back and forth between both of them. "O…kay?"

"And she went to the junk piles. For _this_."

Sky raised a clenched fist and opened it for Sammy, and she gasped and covered her mouth.

It was the Hello Kitty utility knife from yesterday.

Sammy's eyes shot to Ella's arm.

_No. No way._

"E… Ella, did you…?"

"No!" she immediately shouted, startling Sammy slightly. "No, I didn't! I…" She scrunched her face and turned away. "I didn't get the chance."

When Ella refused to say anymore, Sammy looked to Sky for clarification. "Shawn and I caught her before she could do anything," she said. "We're lucky he sleeps with one eye open. Otherwise…"

She turned back to Ella, who wouldn't look her in the eye. "Ella?" she tried, but there was no response from her. "Ella, please… I need to know. Did you do anything like this since we arrived on the island?"

There was a small shake of her head. "No," she said quietly. "The last time I did it was… just before we left for the airport." She hesitated for a second, but pressed on. "It somehow got out that I was chosen to be on the show, and some of the others from school came looking for me and… and…"

Sammy could see Sky looking at them in confused horror in the corner of her eye, but she was too focused on Ella to give her an explanation. "It's okay, you don't have to keep going," she said as soothingly as possible. "And… what about last night?"

It was obviously painful for her to talk about. "Our talk in the cave yesterday was… more unpleasant for me than I thought it would be. So many bad memories pushed themselves to the surface, and for the life of me I couldn't stop thinking about them." Her breathing hitched, and she turned away to wipe at her eyes. "I couldn't go back to just pretending they didn't happen, not after promising you I wouldn't do that. But then all of a sudden you got put on the other team, and it made me feel so… so _empty_. I knew you weren't really gone, I told you that myself. But I couldn't listen to myself, and it truly felt you weren't here anymore. And… then the urge to cut was just too strong. I didn't know what else to do."

There was a part of her that felt like she was at fault for that. Sammy tried to tell herself it wasn't her fault, or Ella's fault, but the thoughts lingered and she did her best to ignore them. "Oh, Ella, I'm sorry. I… I had no idea that you…"

"I know you didn't," she said. "I didn't want you to worry." She chuckled humorlessly and shook her head. "And look how that turned out…"

Sammy frowned, and reached out for Ella's hands. She had to pull the gloved hand off of the arm with the sleeve, but she met little resistance. "I'm not mad or upset," she told her. "I'm just thankful nothing happened. You know what might've happened if you used that rusty knife, right? It could've been really bad."

"I know," she said. "I… I really didn't want to. But…"

"Yeah, the urge… It must be really difficult when it happens."

Ella nodded. " _Very_ difficult."

Sammy sincerely wished she was better equipped for this sort of situation, but the reality was she was not. She wouldn't do any less than her best, however, especially for the girl she liked. "Look," she started. "I'll be honest, there's so much I don't know about what you're going through. I mean, you've told me a lot, but I don't honestly know what to do in this situation. I really wish that wasn't the case, because I want to help you _so_ much. And I know that I won't be able to completely fix anything with just a few words, but I want to help all the same, even if it's just a little bit."

Her smile gradually returned as Sammy spoke, which caused her to smile as well. Ella's eyes kept leaking, but Sammy had a suspicion that they had become tears of joy. "You're too good, you know that?" she asked.

Sammy gave a toothy grin. "That's why I'm the good twin. It's who I am."

Ella took one of Sammy's hands and cupped her cheek with it, prompting her face to turn red. "Yes, you're absolutely right."

Behind her, someone cleared their throat, and Sammy turned back around to see the majority of the others looking at them and waiting. Chris tapped a finger to his watch. "If you ladies are done…?"

To Ella, Sammy stuttered, "W-We should probably get back to it! Talk after the challenge?"

Ella nodded eagerly. "For sure."

Sky had at some point left the two of them to give them their privacy, and by the looks of it no longer had the knife on her, possibly having given it to one of the crew members. Additionally, at some point during their talk, Topher had showed up, though he looked a bit more green than when she saw him earlier. "You're not looking so good," Sammy observed when she returned to her team.

"Yeah, well," he said in a strained and pained voice, "there's a reason why people shouldn't eat rotten eggs."

It was only then that she realized the intern from earlier had left the area. "Oh. That sucks."

"Oh I know. I'm living it, so I know."

Chris called for attention and introduced the challenge then, revealing that this particular one was named 'Hush or Die'. The teams were to make their way through three unique danger zones as quietly as they could, because the louder they were, the more danger they'd be in. Zone one featured sleeping lions and deadly rattlesnakes; the second zone had both a blindfolded Chef Hatchet, who was waiting to blast anyone loud enough with his pasta gun, and the so-called 'Pasta Bear', who would be the first to chow down on anyone blasted with pasta; and the final zone was aptly titled 'The Avalanche Zone', and there were no points awarded for guessing what that one involved.

Topher, despite how much he looked like he was ready to puke, sauntered up to Chris and leaned on the TV. "You kinda ran out of creative steam coming up with the name for that one, huh? Old age'll do that to ya." For that last remark, he got a shockingly accurate pasta blast courtesy of Chef, and skidded in between the two teams, dazed and confused.

"If Chef has accuracy _that_ good, while _blindfolded_ , we may be in trouble," Sky murmured.

"She's right," Jasmine said to Sammy and Scarlett. "We'll have to up our game if we want to win. Let's try to keep our mouths shut for the rest of this challenge."

Topher sat up and complained about his hair, but then swiftly cleared his throat and smiled cockily at Chris. "These little games might be challenging for _old_ people, but not us. You really need to start thinking younger, Chris."

Sammy smacked both of her hands to her face. "Aaand Topher fails step one."

"No, no," Chris said. "Topher makes a good point. You're all so young and agile… I should step it up. So _now_ everyone will have to carry a special something through the entire challenge. It'll make it _way_ harder." His grin widened to arrogant levels. "Everyone say, 'Thanks, Topher!'"

Seven sets of eyes fell on the guy covered in pasta and noodles, looking like some hopeless chump who walked down the wrong dark alleyway. " _Thanks, Topher_ ," everyone said in unison.

"Okay," Chris said nonchalantly, and clapped his hands twice. "Bring in the babies!"

"Wait… _babies_?" Ella repeated in disbelief.

"Want to run that by us again?" Jasmine asked him warily.

"You heard me," Chris replied, and pointed behind the teams.

Everyone looked, and everyone gasped. Two interns were rolling out a baby carriage each, one pink and one blue, and started handing each of the baffled contestants a small bundle of cloth wrapped up over an _actual_ , _literal_ baby.

"This… can _not_ be legal," Sky said in disbelief as she accepted a baby.

"I've studied Canadian child regulations," Scarlett said, looking at her child with worry. "This is most certainly _not_ legal."

"Where the _hell_ did you get these, McLean?" Amy asked, holding her baby at arm's length. "Did… Did you _kidnap_ these kids?"

"Who's to say?" Chris replied with a casual shrug. "We don't like to disclose challenge details with the contestants."

She stared at him in absolute disgust. "You are a _sick_ man. You know that?"

"Why thank you." He held up his air horn. "Just as a heads up, make sure your babies are still asleep. A crying child in a lion's den _probably_ won't end well."

"And who's fault would that be?!" Sammy whispered loudly.

"Yours, obviously." He pressed the horn for a fraction of a second, making only the tiniest noise. "And, go!"

No one started immediately, as they were too busy staring in quiet shock at their new packages. But slowly, after some urging from Chris, they started towards the first zone.

"This is ridiculous," Sammy whispered to herself, her eyes darting from one lion to the next, and occasionally down at the bundle in her arms. She'd never held a baby before, as she was too busy being Amy's guinea pig to do any babysitting, and it really only occurred to her then that she was carrying something _incredibly_ fragile. _Who's child is this, anyway? God, I bet they're worried out of their minds…_

She sidestepped a rattlesnake, thankful that it was asleep like the rest, and was about to move on when a hand covered her mouth and dragged her behind a tree and a large bush. She started panicking and fighting back, but when she saw it was just the rest of her team she eased up. "Warn me next time," she said to Jasmine sharply when she took her hand from her mouth.

"Sorry, it was the first thing I thought of," said her friend. "Listen, we should all stick together going forward. We need everyone to cross the finish line, and it'll be easier if we don't have to go tracking one of us down so we can bail them out if things get out of hand. All in?"

"Agreed," replied Sammy.

"Sounds good," said Scarlett.

"Eh, whatever," mumbled Topher, too busy on his phone to look up.

Sammy _immediately_ did a double take. " _Whoa_ whoa whoa. Since when the heck did you have your phone here? And why are you on it in the middle of a challenge?"

"Hm?" Topher looked up briefly before going back to it. "Oh, it's not mine."

She gawked at him, her mouth hanging open. "That… just gives me _more_ questions." He didn't seem to even hear that remark. "Is he for real?" she asked her other teammates.

"You get used to his quirks after a while," Scarlett said. Despite this, she pushed the phone away from Topher's face and forced him to look at her. "Though she is correct. It's unwise to be using it in the middle of a challenge, especially one that requires _stealth_. Put it away, and turn it down, unless you want us to become the lions' next meal."

Topher glared at her. "I'll have you know I'm waiting on a very important call. I'll put it on vibrate, but if the call comes in I am _so_ answering it."

"You're expecting a _call_? In the middle of the game?!" Sammy asked. With a shake of her head, she whispered, "What crazy subplot have I been missing out from this team?"

"Let's hope that call comes in after we're done," Jasmine said, and proceeded onwards with Scarlett and Topher in tow. "C'mon, let's get a move on."

Sammy stared at her as she walked away. "You're just going to let that slide?" she asked, but received no answer. "Ugh. This team is _weird_." She took two steps forward, heard a mechanical whirring, and looked back to see open skies. "Wait, weren't we just behind a tree?" Again, no one responded to her, too far ahead as they were, and she sighed in exasperation. "Never mind the team, this _island_ is weird."

She quickly caught up to them, and for the next few minutes the four members of Kinosewak managed to maneuver around the sleeping animals. Once Sammy nearly stepped on a rattlesnake, but Jasmine was there to catch her before she did any harm. "Eyes on the ground, too," Jasmine whispered to her.

"I know, I know," Sammy said. "It's just hard to look everywhere, _plus_ making sure the baby is okay." The little bundle of life, nestled in a pink blanket, was still sound asleep despite the stress its babysitter was under. "I wonder if they'll ever know they were on this show when they grow up…"

"Who knows, but now's not the time to wonder that," Jasmine said, motioning her forward. "C'mon, let's get to zone two before-"

" _YES!_ A text!"

The reaction was instantaneous - Topher's exclamation caused the closest lion to rouse from its nap, look at the four of them and start to growl hungrily.

"Uh," Jasmine stammered as the beast drew closer. "This is not good."

"Argh, you can say that again," Topher groaned, looking at the phone in annoyance. "It's just a stupid picture of a cat!"

"Oh, is that all?" Sammy asked him. "Maybe put the phone away and pay attention to the _actual cat_ in front of us."

If his reaction was anything to go by, he didn't even _notice_ the lion until now. "Ooh, yeah, this is kinda bad."

"You _think?!_ " Sammy hissed at him. _What the hell did Amy see in him anyway?!_

The lion was staring down its prey, its back arched and ready to pounce at any given moment. Its teeth were _huge_ , and would likely be able to rip apart anything that tried to run away. This was a dangerous situation, and Sammy was unsure of what to do. They couldn't try to outrun it, it'd catch them in a second. Subduing it might be easier, what with Jasmine on the team, but even then that was a longshot considering there were so many more around. _This is probably even more of a threat than the bear was…_

Then it hit her. "The bear."

"What?" Jasmine asked.

"Topher, hold my-" He was on the phone again, and she quickly changed her mind. "Scarlett, hold my baby." She immediately tossed her kid to the brainiac, who caught it easily. "Jasmine, hold steady." Sammy proceeded to scale her tall friend, using her hips and shoulders like steps on a ladder, and placed her legs around Jasmine's neck. "Now _roar!_ " She began waving her hands around quickly and widely, all the while screaming at the lion.

Jasmine picked up on her plan. "Oh, nice thinking!" She did the same, and even approached the lion to get right up in its face. Its bared teeth were put away as it watched the two approach it, and it backed up with every step they took. Soon it seemed to have enough, and dashed out of the area at record speed.

"Yes!" Sammy cheered, pumping her fists.

"Now _that's_ what I'm talking about!" Jasmine let her down and gave her a high-five. "Look at you, saving the day! I never would've expected this outta you last week."

"OMG, me neither," Sammy agreed. "I guess that's my character development at work."

Jasmine gave her a look. "Uh… what?"

"You know, 'cuz we're on TV?" She pointed at one of the many cameras aimed at them.

"Ohh." Jasmine snorted and shook her head. "I don't know whether to laugh at that or punch you in the face for it."

"Not the last one, please."

"Incredible work," Scarlett congratulated, approaching them and handing Sammy back her baby. "I wasn't aware that you knew about the responses common in lions and other predators. Color me impressed."

She said that with a smile so genuine that Sammy was almost sick to her stomach. "Yeah, well… Just because I have blonde hair, doesn't make me unintelligent." _Though that idea_ was _taken from Beardo…_

"Still, though, it got us in the clear for the time being," Scarlett continued. She turned back towards the rest of zone one and hummed quietly. "Odd that your screaming didn't wake the other lions, but now is not the time to worry about such questions. We should move."

"She's right," Jasmine said. "Let's skedaddle."

They set out once more, but Sammy remembered something and looked back. As expected, Topher was too busy looking at the phone to even notice the three had left. "Oh my _god_." She walked up to him and slapped the phone out of his hands and onto the ground.

"Whoa, hey, what gives?" he asked in surprise.

"Put that stupid thing away before you get us in trouble again!" she said sternly. "I'm _not_ going to be lion food or get filled with snake venom because you couldn't keep your mouth shut when it was supposed to be!"

He looked rather unimpressed with her outburst, and casually picked the phone back up and headed on. "Take a chill pill, girl. You're starting to sound too much like Amy."

"E- _Excuse me?!_ " She said that just a _bit_ too loud, but thankfully the only lion near her simply rolled over onto its back. A little behind the Salmons were some of the Bears, where they had stopped and stared at Sammy's outburst. Smiling sheepishly and waving, she quickly caught back up with Topher and glared at him. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like, toots," he said without looking at her. At least he had put the phone away. "Keep up the glare like that and it's gonna get stuck on your face."

"The only reason I'm angry is because of how you're acting," she muttered. Topher didn't have any snarky comment at that, and Sammy merely rolled her eyes. "What was up with you and my sister anyway?" she found herself asking for some reason. "Were you two dating or something? 'Cuz it really didn't look like it."

Topher scoffed at this. "We were. For like, a day, maybe."

 _That's just what Jasmine said. More or less._ "Why so short?"

"Uh, have you _met_ your sister?" he asked, finally turning to face her. "She was whiny and entitled and thought the world revolved around her! Especially when I told her I mistook you for her that one day."

"Which, you know, was _your_ fault."

"Hey, I owned up to it, but she took things way too far by being completely catty about it! No way I was going to date anyone who acted like _that_."

"Gosh, it must've been _so tough_ having to deal with someone like that," Sammy said dryly. Topher didn't seem to get the irony. "But… hang on, _you_ broke up with _her_?"

"Well, yeah." They stepped over a rattlesnake that hissed at them, but ultimately paid them no mind. "I mean, she was only doing it to get back at you. Her heart wasn't in it."

That was news to her, but it made so much sense. "Wait, she said that?"

"Not exactly, but it was pretty obvious. At first I thought she was serious about it, but by the second day it was clear she was just using me to get even." He paused for a second. "Neither of you are the picture of subtlety, really. What with you and that lady friend of yours."

Sammy's face flared red. _Great. Just great. Shawn was right, I_ am _being super obvious._ She had her worries about that, worries that she'd need to sort through. But she shook her head, figuring this was no time for such thoughts. "So she really did hook up with you for me calling her out back then, huh?"

"Looks like it," he said.

She thought this through, all the while avoiding anything that would do her harm. _So back on the third day, I called out Amy for being too focused on hurting me than helping herself. The second I do that, she gets a boyfriend, but doesn't act any differently than normal towards him, which alienates him and causes him to break up with her a few days later. That must've been a huge blow to her ego._

And despite that, Sammy could only frown.

_So why do I feel bad for her?_

She turned back around to look at the Bears, and spotted Amy creeping past a few lions. The baby in her arms seemed like it was starting to stir, but she managed to rock it gently back to sleep before it began to cry. She wiped her forehead and breathed a sigh of relief, and her eyes fell onto Sammy looking at her, causing her to quirk her brow.

And whatever possessed her to do it, Sammy would likely never know, but she gave her sister a half-smile. Not a glare, or a snarl, but a smile that she hoped would convey, 'I still don't like you, but I'm glad you're doing alright.' Whether the message got through to her or not, Sammy wasn't sure, and she continued on with her team. _I want to get Amy's side of the story, too, but the game comes first. I'll seek her out later._

"Shawn!" Jasmine suddenly said, prompting Sammy to look farther ahead and see Shawn leaning on the sign indicating the start of zone two. "How'd you get here so fast?"

"Sleeping cats and oversized poisonous worms with fangs are _nothing_ compared to the zombie apocalypse," he explained confidently. "I'm glad to see you made it."

"Well of course," Jasmine said. "For _me_ , this stuff is nothing compared to the dangers of the outback back home. But, shouldn't you be getting back to your team? All members need to finish or else it won't count, right?"

"Yeah, I know, that's why I'm waiting here," he said. "Those girls _are_ taking their time though…"

"We should get a move-on before they catch up to us," Scarlett said, and took off past Shawn. Topher followed suit without a word.

 _We really should stick together, but seeing as how these two just_ got _together…_ "I'm, uh," Sammy said to Jasmine and Shawn with a knowing grin, "I'm gonna follow them." She ran after them and into the next zone. From the looks of it, the second zone was mostly barren, save for Chef Hatchet not too far down the way, blindfolded and with a giant bazooka slung over his shoulder. Upon further inspection, however, there also seemed to be traps laid about the field, such as horns and other items that could cause noise by stepping on them.

"Everyone, ensure that your feet touch the ground and not anything else," Scarlett instructed. "We all saw how good Chef's aim is, and that pasta seems to be a special blend that sticks to surfaces more easily than it would otherwise."

"Got it," Sammy said. She didn't like Scarlett, that much was clear, but the challenge came before all else, and she didn't really mind following her instructions if it meant winning.

Astoundingly, Topher was back on the phone. "C'mon, c'mon…" he was muttering, tapping at the screen, and the phone let out a little tune. "Ah, yeah! Level three!"

"And _now_ you're playing games," Sammy said, quite honestly amazed. "How about instead of _that_ game, you focus on this one? _For once_."

Topher gave her a side-long glance and pocketed the phone. "Alright, sheesh. Touchy much?"

 _Oh, I just want to_ scream _at him!_ She kept her cool, however, and tried breathing deeply to calm herself.

He decided now was the time to show off what five years of on-camera poise classes earned him. Which ended in a whole lot of nothing as he failed to see the horn under his foot and got blasted with pasta for his trouble. He hit a tree with a scream, and Sammy and Scarlett ran up to him, careful to avoid any other traps. He was stuck there, but thankfully the baby he was carrying was spared from getting splatted. "Ow, _ow!_ It's so spicy!" he cried out in pain.

"Uh oh…" came Chris's voice over the loudspeaker, "here comes Pasta Bear!"

It was further past Chef that he appeared, so it was a little difficult to make him out, but there was indeed a giant mass of fur approaching at quite a hasty speed.

And for some reason, Sammy found that she was frozen on the spot.

Flashes of the bear from the stream forced themselves into her mind, at being held hostage by its claws, at nearly being chewed up by its huge teeth and jaws. The wall of brown fur was growing bigger and bigger, and Sammy felt as if she were shrinking in fear from it just as fast.

_Oh god, oh crap, no no no, I don't want to deal with another bear, not this soon! Not ever! Why are there so many goddamn bears around this season?! And… and why can't I move?! I don't- I don't want to-_

She suddenly felt herself shaking from side to side without meaning to. "Snap out of it, girl! Look alive!"

Sammy tried her best to shake the anxiety and dread from her head, and looked up to Jasmine for guidance. "W-What should we do?"

"Same as before." Jasmine took Sammy's baby for her and bent down. "Get on my back and we'll scare it!"

"What about-" She looked to see Scarlett already working on freeing Topher. "Oh. Never mind!" Sammy wasted no more time and quickly scaled her back. She roared with all her might, waving her arms even more than before since Jasmine's arms were preoccupied. There was a bit more fear in her screams, but there was nothing she could do to change that. She likely wouldn't think of bears the same way ever again, now.

Unfortunately, Pasta Bear ran straight past them, not bothering with them at all, and it was only then that Sammy saw the blindfold around his eyes.

"Wait, _what?_ " Sammy said as the bear ran right past them without stopping.

"Did I forget to mention that Pasta Bear is running on smell?" Chris asked from everywhere. "My bad!"

Sammy vaguely remembered Sky and Shawn telling her about Bling Bear from the cave yesterday, and how it was basically just Scuba Bear wearing gold chains, jewelry and clothes. This time, 'Pasta Bear' was decked out in everything as before, but now there was a chef's hat on top of his backwards baseball cap. "Isn't his design going a bit overboard?" Sammy asked no one in particular.

"Scarlett! Work faster!" Jasmine shouted at the brainiac.

Scarlett's arms moved much faster, and thankfully she was able to get enough of the pasta off of Topher for him to pull himself free on his own. "Aw, yeah! Topher's back, baby!" He held the child in his hands out in front of him. "Heh. Literally."

"Uh, you realize you still have a problem, right?" Scarlett asked him, pointing to his shirt and heading back towards the girls. "I'd start running if I were you."

Topher looked down at his shirt and saw the rest of the pasta still clinging to it. "Ooh, crap."

"Run!" Scarlett called to the others, and Sammy wasted no time hopping down from Jasmine's shoulders. Accepting her baby back, the three took off towards Chef, being careful not to step on any loud traps along the way. They passed by the cook quietly, who seemed preoccupied with other noises farther away, and the girls managed to reach the end of the zone. Topher, who finally managed to get Pasta Bear off his tail, also managed to get to the end without triggering anything as well.

" _HA!_ Easy breezy!" Topher yelled triumphantly.

"Will you be _quiet_ for once?" Sammy hissed at him, her annoyance at him over-powering her fear of the bear. "You're gonna make Chef-" A loud blast from behind, and a shadow passed over them. "-fire on us again. _Run!_ "

No one wasted any time taking off for zone three. Sammy pushed her legs as fast as they could go, but she was still unsure if they'd be able to make it.

Scarlett just so happened to look up at the incoming pasta and gasped. "He aimed for where we're _going_ to be! Everyone stop and duck!"

They didn't question her, and everyone hit the dirt at the same time, careful not to disturb the babies. Just as she said, the pasta flew over their heads and landed just a few feet in front of them.

Sammy involuntarily sniffed. _It smells so good. Why would he waste good food like that?! Isn't he a chef?!_ Her stomach growled, but there was no time for that.

"Nice, Scarlett!" Jasmine said quietly, and directed everyone to keep going at a lower volume. All three girls had to give Topher the stink eye when he reached for the phone, and he wisely kept it in his pocket with a nervous chuckle.

Zone three was upon them, and they were still in the lead. Sammy took a look back to see if the Bears were still doing okay, but was actually surprised to see they were closer than she had anticipated. Ella and Amy both had been blasted with pasta, their clothes covered in noodles and sauce, but it looked like they managed to give Pasta Bear the slip. Sammy was both relieved and nervous. "They're gaining on us," she informed the others. "Let's pick up the pace."

"But we're still ahead of them, and that's what matters," Jasmine said confidently. "We've got this in the bag!" She high-fived Sammy, and went to high-five Topher, but of course…

"Oh, man, I actually have all four bars in this area!" he exclaimed, eyes glued to the phone.

Though she was _really_ starting to get annoyed with him - _Funny how it wasn't until I got out of my shell that I started finding other people infuriating, not just Amy_ \- it wasn't Sammy who snapped. Scarlett grit her teeth, grabbed Topher by the collar of his shirt and pulled him close to her face. "I _swear_ , if you lose this challenge for us, I will make sure every waking moment of your miserable life will have you wishing you _never met me_. Do I make myself clear?"

Sammy felt _chills_ from that, and not the good kind. "Whoa. When'd Scarlett get so scary?" she whispered to Jasmine.

"No clue," she replied. "That threat would've made Max run home crying, though."

"Oh, for real."

Topher smartly put away the phone without any complaints, and the four quietly dashed off once more. With every step they took toward the snowy cliff, the colder it became, and Sammy was acutely aware that her ripped up uniform was doing little to protect her from it. _Doesn't help that winter is my least favorite season, anyway._

Chris was standing in their way not too far down, along with the two interns rolling the baby carriages from before. The host stopped the team before they went past him. "Congratulations, Team Kinosewak," he said in a loud whisper. "Still in the lead and just one more zone to go. First, I need you to hand in your babies." One of the interns approached them with the carriage, and motioned for Sammy to put the baby in.

"What, just like that?" Jasmine asked as the carriage moved down the line.

"Yeah," Chris said, rolling his eyes. "Lawyers called and said something about _danger_ and _lawsuits_ and blah-blah-blah…"

"Wow, they said that just then?" Sammy asked. "I'm surprised this didn't come up earlier. You know, when you were actually _kidnapping_ them?"

"Oh, some people voiced complaints," Chris told her proudly. "We just didn't listen."

"So you, uh, didn't have a backup plan to keep things interesting, huh?" Topher snidely asked him. "It's like you're losing your touch or something."

Scarlett quite violently elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to grunt in pain. " _Don't_ antagonize the host if the only thing we get out of it is more trouble!"

"Duly noted," Topher said in a groan.

As they gently walked off once more, Jasmine started looking around the area. "Okay, _seriously_. I've explored practically the entire island in my down time. So why is it that I can't remember this place? It's like… it just popped into existence!"

"Yeah, this island is really messing with my head," Sammy said to her. "With the computer and the elevator yesterday, it's almost like-"

"This section of the island has always been here," Chris said to them from behind, interrupting her thoughts. "Maybe you guys just need to get your eyesight adjusted!"

Sammy and Jasmine shared a look. "I get the feeling he's covering something up," Sammy whispered.

"I agree," Jasmine said. "And I want to find out what it is, and why."

Sammy nodded, and refocused her efforts on staying silent. All they could do now was walk as quickly and quietly as possible. She was able to hear the Bears talking with Chris and handing over their babies, but there was still a noticeable gap between the teams, so she wasn't all that afraid of being overtaken.

Her age-old anxiety was trying to make her think that, should the Bears lose, Amy would _not_ be the one going home despite being promised the opposite. But after everything she'd gone through, every celebratory meal, every comforting conversation she'd had with her old team, Sammy knew that those thoughts were false. She trusted Ella, and Sky, and… Shawn, somewhat, though he was a bit of an outlier… But regardless, they were all against Amy being on the team, so she knew for certain that her future was set if they lost.

Or rather… _when_ they lost. The finish line was just in front of them now. It was only a few more steps and they'd be the winners, and Sammy was looking forward to the meal they'd be served tonight.

In hindsight, perhaps they should've actually _taken_ the phone from Topher.

" _YYYYESSS!_ " he suddenly shrieked to the heavens.

That was when the rumbling started.

"I'm gonna rip you a new one!" Jasmine screamed at him, but she never got to make good on that promise as the snow started falling from above.

Sammy had never been in an avalanche before, which was something she was proud of. So when the snow quite literally crushed her beneath its weight and slammed her to the ground, her head ringing and the room for breathing far too confined, she decided then and there that she was going to avoid snowy mountains for the rest of her life.

And none of that wasn't an exaggeration either - the snow was packed and heavy on her face, and made breathing very, _very_ difficult. She tried pushing her way up with every bit of strength she had, but she couldn't get her body to move at all.

That was when the panic started to set in. She squirmed to no avail, she tried to make noise but couldn't risk opening her mouth and filling it with snow, and could only make pitiful moaning noises. Quickly, her lungs were on fire, and her head was starting to feel lighter. _Oh god oh god oh god I can't breathe I can't move I can't_ breathe _I don't want to die not like this please someone anyone save me please please_ please _someone help me-_

She thought she heard voices, and a few different noises, but before she could confirm any of it her consciousness slipped and she fell into blackness.

* * *

The first thing she heard when she came to was beeping. She let out a groan and tried to move, which she managed to do with difficulty, but moving was weird and she felt sluggish and part of her just wanted to keep lying down. When it became apparent that she was awake for good, she opened her eyes and had to blink away the spots and blinding lights. Her head and chest _ached_ , and on top of that she was _freezing_ , despite what must've been a warm blanket wrapped around her.

The groan she let out had prompted movement, which she could barely see through the light. A dark figure stood above her and was saying something to her, but she was still too dazed to make it out. She felt some sort of shifts in her arms, and she cried out in pain once or twice from those shifts hurting her, but the discomfort settled down after a moment.

Gradually, her senses returned to her, and she could finally make out the voices.

"…wasn't under long enough for hypothermia to kick in. Her body temperature _has_ dropped however, and she'll need a blanket with her for at least the rest of the day, same as the others."

"We have those to spare, yeah. Anything else?"

"I'll need to run a few more tests on her before I can get anything conclusive, but since she wasn't breathing when we recovered her, she may be suffering from lowered oxygen levels and increased blood pressure. She'll need to stay in here for the time being until I can figure out if she's fit for anything else."

"Lucky the challenge is over then. Let me know if anything comes up."

"You got it, boss."

Her vision was becoming clearer now, and she saw that the light shining down on her was coming from one of those adjustable lights you'd find in the dentist's office, though this one was looking a bit more beat up. She turned her head slowly, and found herself in what could only be the on-site infirmary, with several different machines, medicine, and papers to go around and create a sort of chaotic atmosphere. The beeping was coming from machines hooked up to her, and focusing on those noises helped her to clear her head somewhat.

"Wh… What's going on?" she managed to croak out. Her mouth felt like sandpaper.

The two other people in the room - Chris and Chef - approached her. "Samey," Chris greeted. For once, his smile didn't seem fake, and almost looked relieved. "You were out for a while. How are you feeling?"

She squinted her eyes and shook her head slightly. "It's S-Sammy," she answered automatically.

Chris clapped his hands once and turned on his heel. "Welp, she's fine. I'm headed back to my trailer."

He left with a whistle on his lips, and Chef could only shake his head. "Dick," he muttered.

"W-What happened to me?" she asked. Even after managing to focus a little bit, her head was still swimming. "Feels like I was d-dunked in a tub of f-frozen molasses."

"Try to stay still," Chef told her. "What do you remember?"

"Um…" She desperately tried to think back. "I remember the… the challenge. W-With the lions and the s-snakes and… _you_. Then the… the mountain." A feeling of irritation rose up in her. "And _Topher_. And the avalanche. And the…" She let out a shaky breath. "The feeling of being trapped and unable to breathe. That was… really scary."

"I know it was," Chef said, as kindly as his gruff voice could make it. "You were under the snow for a solid minute. By the time we got you out, you weren't breathing. How good is your lung capacity?"

"N…Not very." The last time she properly went swimming was ages ago, and putting her head underwater for longer than 20 seconds was nearly impossible nowadays.

"And given the amount of snow that fell on you, I'd say the breath got knocked from your lungs. You're lucky your girlfriend dug you out when she did, else we could've had a serious problem."

 _Ella._ "W-Where is she?"

"We had to send her and the others back to their camps. She tried to stay with you, but we had to rush to get you in and couldn't have her here."

"I want t-to see her."

"Not until you're better, you won't. Now, I need to run some tests and make sure how you're really doing."

The tests were pretty standard: flashlight on the eyes, a thermometer under the tongue, and so on. Chef took a blood sample and, from Sammy's perspective, seemed displeased with the results, but he didn't say anything about it.

When he was looking at something over on his desk, Sammy spoke up. "W-What about the others? Jasmine and the other S-Salmons?"

"They got out fine," Chef told her. "You had the worst of it. Whereas the other three managed to at least get their heads out on their own, you were right down at the bottom of it all. We literally had to shovel you out."

"Huh. At least they're f-fine…" A thought occurred to her then, and it was a wonder why she didn't think of this earlier. She chalked it up to her befuddled mind and body. "Wait. Who won the challenge?"

Chef chuckled. "Was waiting for you to ask. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but not you."

"…Oh. Yeah, I thought as much. W-What was up with the babies anyway?"

"Feh. Wasn't my idea, that's for sure. Not like anyone listens to ol' Chef anymore these days. If I had my way, I'd have those kids in a daycare instead of on some metal deathtrap."

"R… Right." _Metal? What's that supposed to mean? …Oh forget it, I'm too tired to think._

There were a few more tests done to check Sammy's consciousness levels - eye charts, inkblot tests, and others - and soon Chef had a satisfied answer. "You're gonna be fine," he told her. "More of a scare than anything, really, but any longer under the snow and there would've been consequences."

"Oh. That's good," she said. She was starting to feel a little warmer, but not by much. "Am I allowed to go now?"

"Soon," Chef told her. "But you should be fine for visitors if you want. I can call for Ella or anyone else to stop by."

"Yes please," she answered immediately.

Chef summoned an intern to do his dirty work while he unhooked the various machines connected to Sammy, and within the next ten minutes Ella burst through the tent's opening. She looked winded, her cheeks flushed and her eyes once more filled with tears. _It's… heartbreaking how many times I've seen her that way._

"Sammy!" she nearly shouted and quickly strode over to the bed she was on.

"Hey," Sammy replied, her voice still a little hoarse. "How're you doing?"

"Me?!" Ella asked, dropping to her knees by the bed. "What about _you_?! You were buried in an avalanche! Who cares about me?!"

Sammy only smiled at her. "I do, obviously."

Ella's face, already red from running, almost seemed to get redder. "W-W-Well thank you, but that's not what we're talking about!"

"I know," she replied. Ella's immense worry was rather flattering. "I'll be okay. Chef said it wasn't anything to worry about, just a scare."

"It certainly felt like _more_ than just a scare," Ella mumbled. "But if you say you're alright…"

"I am," Sammy reassured. "But… I won't lie. It was pretty terrifying."

Ella nodded sadly. "I can't even begin to imagine."

"Though I don't know which one was worse, the avalanche or the bear," she said. "Probably the bear, since I was awake for that one. At least I was out cold when I-" She snorted and laughed lightly, though she ended up coughing painfully. "Out… Out cold under the snow. _Ha._ I should write that one down."

"Be _serious_ please!" Ella pleaded, slapping her hands onto the bed in agitation. She didn't look amused at all. "Do you… do you know how scared I was? Not only do I see you almost _devoured_ , I see you get lost under a giant pile of snow!" She wiped at her eyes and sniffed. "I was worried out of my mind! And that was only in the span of _three_ days!"

Sammy found herself at a loss of words. Of _course_ Ella was going to be worried. Perhaps she should take her own well-being more seriously. "Y… You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be saying stuff like that now."

"Thank you." She relaxed a little, sighing heavily to release the tension. "…It _was_ funny. But now isn't the time."

"Knew it," Sammy said in delight.

"Samantha…"

"Uh, sorry."

Despite herself, Ella couldn't help but give a half-smile. "If you're able to make jokes, you _must_ be fine."

"I am," Sammy told her. "It's just a little discomfort in my chest. I'll be fine."

Ella hummed in thought, and she turned towards Chef. "Is she good to keep playing?"

"She will be, but she ain't going anywhere for the time being," he answered.

"That's a relief," she said with an accompanying sigh.

"Yeah," Sammy agreed. "So, um… what happened when I went under? Chef said you started digging me out?"

"Mhm. We were behind you and the rest of… _your_ team, just when we were handing in our babies." She shuddered and shook her head. "That sounds so _weird_ to say… Anyway, we only _just_ started with the zone when Topher screamed out, so we managed to get away from the cliff before we got hit. I guess you guys weren't so lucky."

"Nope. We most certainly were not."

"When that happened and everything settled, our team ran ahead and crossed the line. Before I did, though, I saw that you were the only one who hadn't surfaced, and I was starting to worry." Her eyes went unfocused as she remembered. "Then I started to panic. I started digging where I thought you were, but Jasmine told me you were closer to her and I was wasting time and I started over, and I was just getting so _scared_ that you were under the snow for too long and then-" She sharply took in a breath. "Then I saw you. And you didn't see me."

There wasn't anything Sammy could say to that. How are you supposed to reply to your best friend finding your _unconscious body_ like that?

"I started screaming, and tried digging faster, but there was so much snow that I wasn't getting anywhere. That's when Chef and some interns came over and shovelled you out, faster than I would've. You… You weren't breathing when they pulled you out."

"Oh, god." She knew that, of course, but to see it from Ella's perspective made her feel anxiety like no other. "I'm so sorry."

"I know," she replied. "While they were resuscitating you, Amy pulled me across the finish line and let us win, but the moment we did I went right back to your side. Unfortunately… Chef said they needed space and told me not to come." She folded her arms over herself, as if she was the one who was cold from the snow. "It's been a… very slow and agonizing few hours since. But, truly, I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'm glad I am too. Thank you for worrying about me."

"Of course."

They talked for another few minutes, before Ella embarrassedly said she needed to go to the bathroom, saying she was in the middle of heading for the confessional when the intern found her, and she hurried off to find it. "Good luck doing that," Sammy called out to her as she exited the tent. "It's always in a different place than before."

Almost exactly one minute passed, and the tent flap opened up again.

Sammy looked over. "Back so soon-"

It wasn't Ella, but Amy, and the words died in Sammy's mouth.

They stared at each other for a few moments. Amy looked none the worse for wear, if perhaps a little messy from the pasta staining her shirt, but she was looking at Sammy from top to bottom with… _something_ in her eyes. And whatever that something was, it wasn't ire, or pride, or a desire to gloat and insult her. It was… almost like pity. Or sympathy. Which was so _alien_ on Amy's features that Sammy second-guessed herself more than once.

And then, the silence was broken. "Hi," said Amy curtly.

Sammy was expecting a jab or something, not a proper greeting, so it took her a second to respond. "…Hi."

"You, uh…" She stopped herself, breathed in and out once, and tried again. "How are you?"

"Um… Fine, I guess. A little weak, but it's nothing major."

"Oh… Good."

"Yeah."

And the silence returned. Sammy was now acutely aware that _something_ was going on in Amy's head, but she just wasn't sure _what_. The fact that Amy had been less confrontational than normal, and actively sought her out to find out how she was, spoke volumes of how different she'd been acting recently. Was it all because of Sammy standing up for herself? She truly had no idea, and probably wouldn't until Amy brought it up herself.

But it seemed today wouldn't be that day. Amy seemed to struggle once more, like she wanted to say something, but in the end she gave up and turned on her heel. "Okay, uh. Bye."

"Amy, wait."

She did, and turned her head back. "What?"

Truthfully, Sammy called out to her without thinking. Given any other time, she'd probably look like an idiot with nothing to say. But thankfully she _did_ have a question she wanted to ask. "I have a question, and I promise you I'm not trying to be sassy or mean or anything."

Amy paused for a good few seconds, and she turned back around fully. "Go ahead."

 _I should phrase this correctly so she doesn't flip out…_ "What was it that happened between you and Topher? Were you two together?"

Her nostrils flared and her mouth formed a thin line, but she didn't glare or look angry. In fact, she wasn't looking at Sammy at all now. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing! I just… I want to know. I, um, already heard about it from Topher himself, but I want your side of the story."

She let out an agitated breath. "I asked him out, he said yes, and two days later he dumped my ass. End of story. Happy?"

 _That's what everyone else is saying… so I guess it's true._ "Did he say… _why_ he dumped you?"

Her hands were clenched into fists from that question. "He did."

She didn't elaborate. Based on what Topher told her earlier, she didn't need to. "I see."

"Can I go now?" Amy asked impatiently. "Is the interrogation over with?"

"One more question."

She groaned. "What now?"

 _This kind of goes against what I want, but it also doesn't, I think. Weird._ "Do you… want me to vote for him tonight?"

That caught Amy _completely_ off guard, and the tension in her body evaporated entirely. She stared Sammy down, as if she didn't believe her. "You're… asking me? Why?"

"I'm asking you because even though he was a complete tool during the challenge today… I was still going to vote for Scarlett."

" _Scarlett_?" she repeated. "Why her?"

"Because of what she helped Max do to Ella back during that water challenge. I was going to ask Jasmine to help, and convince Topher to do so as well. And with how he royally screwed up today, I figured he'd jump at the chance. But…"

"Now you're going to vote Topher off instead," Amy finished for her. "And it's because I want him gone?"

"It's not entirely because of you," Sammy clarified. "I'm pissed at him, too. He's really the reason why we lost, _and_ why I'm in here now. I guess… you're just helping me come to a decision, is all."

"…Oh." She thought this over for a few moments. It was really a yes or no question, so whatever was actually going on inside her head was a mystery to Sammy. Finally, she looked back up to her and nodded. "Do it."

 _And that's that. Topher's fate is sealed._ Sammy nodded back. "Okay. Um… Thanks."

Amy _stared_ , wide-eyed yet blinking rapidly. But she didn't make a fuss about it. "…Yeah. No problem."

She left then without another word, and Sammy released a breath of relief.

And… so did Chef Hatchet, apparently. "Phew!" he exclaimed, causing Sammy to jump in shock. She had forgotten about him entirely. " _Man_ that was tense!" He looked at Sammy in what almost looked like awe. "You needed a chainsaw to cut the tension there! Props to you for sticking through that your whole life, girlie."

Now it was Sammy's turn to stare. "Uhh… Thanks?" _I think._

* * *

"What are you so happy about?" Scarlett snarled at Topher. "You realize _you're_ going home, right?"

"Oh, we'll see who's going home tonight," Topher said to her. He had been sporting a huge grin on his face ever since he arrived at the elimination ceremony, for a reason Sammy couldn't figure out. It certainly didn't make her feel any better when he _didn't_ apologize for almost killing her. She shared a look with Jasmine, who only shrugged in response.

"Scarlett," Chris said, throwing a marshmallow to the brainiac. "Jasmine, and Samey," he did the same with them, and Sammy caught hers easily enough. "You're all safe for tonight. And, I'm ecstatic to announce that-"

Topher seemed to almost shake on the spot. " _You're_ eliminated, Chris!" He couldn't contain his excitement any longer, sliding up to Chris and pointing right in his face.

"Who, me? Whatever do you mean?" Chris asked him, his voice sounding a touch higher than normal.

"News flash!" Topher turned to the rest of his team. "Chris is going home, and _I'm_ in charge of the show!"

"Wait, _what?_ " Sammy asked loudly. Jasmine and Scarlett gave similar shocked gasps. _That's the_ last _thing I was expecting him to say!_

"I got the phone call from the producers during the challenge," he explained haughtily. " _That's_ why I cheered, and _that's_ why I don't care that we lost, because _I_ am now in charge! _Ha!_ "

Her mouth hung open in shock as she watched Topher do a victory dance. "You…" All eyes turned to Sammy as she stood and stared Topher down. " _You're_ the one who caused the avalanche, and yet you don't care about it? And, and all this time you were just after Chris's _job?!_ "

"Uh, _duh_ ," he said to her. "Why else would I risk my face and hair playing this kind of game?"

"And that's why you were on that phone this whole time? Not paying attention to the challenge and making it so much more _difficult_ for us?"

"What do you want me to say?" Topher asked. "I was just biding my time until the opportunity came up. _You're_ the ones who were getting all worked up over the game. Not _my_ fault I played you all like a fiddle."

Sammy couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was right before - Topher was an uncaring _snake_ and thought everyone else in the world as below him. She knew there was something slimy about him from day one.

She didn't bother to think her next action through - she strode up to Topher and _slapped_ him hard across the cheek with everything she had. The impact was loud, and Topher ended up stumbling some feet away as he cried out in pain. On top of that, her own hand hurt, so it must've been a good hit.

"You _bastard!_ " she screamed at him. "You don't care about the game, you don't care about almost _killing_ me, and you didn't care at all for my sister! You're a _monster_!" She massaged her hand and glared through slitted eyes. "Though I guess you _have_ to be if you're even considering taking this job!"

He almost didn't seem like he heard her, as he was too busy fussing over the hand imprint on his cheek. "Agh, that stings!" He walked up to her and stared her down, but Sammy made sure to hold her ground. He tried using his little bit of height to his advantage, though it didn't do much. "Oh yeah, you're definitely Amy's sister, you little _bitch!_ How about this: as the new host, it's my decree that _you're_ the one getting eliminated tonight! How do you like the sound of _that_?"

Sammy had no time to react to that statement - and if she did, she'd probably slap him on the other side of his face - as Chris interrupted them both. For some reason, in a fake beard and hat. "Oh, Topher!" he said into a microphone, in a deeper and gruffer-sounding voice. "Sorry to say, but… there's been a change of plans!"

Topher went wide-eyed and any hint of aggression dropped from his body instantly. He started stuttering and mumbling and pointing at Chris in absolute confusion. Sammy, likewise, was just as puzzled. "Um… Sorry, what's going on?"

"First rule of showbiz, kids," Chris said to them as Topher continued stammering. " _Never_ play a playa. I knew he had my phone this whole time."

More questions popped up in Sammy's brain, but instead of butting in she decided to let everything play out. Apparently Topher had been trying to contact the producers of the show, but instead of them calling him it was _Chris_ calling his own phone pretending to be them. He sabotaged Topher's chance of becoming host of Total Drama by playing _him_ like he was trying to play everyone else.

Sitting back down on her tree stump and wrapping herself back up, Sammy said, "Huh. So _that's_ the subplot I was missing."

Without another glance at the others, Chris grinned and walked away. "Come along, Topher. You've got a date with a cannon."

Chef easily picked him up over his shoulder, ignoring the fact that Topher was still trying to comprehend everything, and brought him down the path. When the hosts were out of sight, Scarlett sighed and stood up. "Thank _god_ he's gone. I'm fairly certain this team's collective IQ just went up by a severe amount."

Jasmine suddenly slapped Sammy on the back, causing her to grunt loudly. " _That_ was a righteous wallop there! I didn't know you had it in you!"

She chuckled nervously. "Uh, thanks. My hand still hurts though." She tried to shake away the pain, but of course that wouldn't do anything.

"I'm rather surprised you defended your sister during all of that," Scarlett observed. "From what I can tell, you two aren't particularly fond of one another."

In the heat of the moment, she hadn't even meant to say it. But at this point, Sammy wasn't all that surprised herself. "Yeah, well… I guess things change, y'know? I mean… I still don't like her. I don't think I ever will. But I also don't like Topher, and I know he hurt Amy, so… I dunno. Part of it was just said in the moment, too."

Scarlett nodded. "Hm. Understandable. Words and actions can be nigh incomprehensible when emotions are running high. It's just the flaws of being human."

" _Man_ you sound like an encyclopedia sometimes, you know that?" Jasmine asked with a laugh.

"It's really _not_ intentional, I assure you."

In their discussion, Sammy forgot where they were for a second, and jumped and screamed when the cannon fired below them. Topher's own screaming was heard for only a few seconds before the quiet of the night resumed.

"And that takes care of that," Jasmine said. She too stood and started down the path back towards the treehouse. "C'mon, let's head back."

She and Scarlett left the ceremony area, though Sammy stayed back and looked out to where she assumed Topher had flown off. She was glad he was gone - now they were able to focus on the challenges without having to worry about one of them being too distracted. _And… maybe Amy will be a bit more at ease without him around._

She didn't know why she was looking out for her sister when she never did that for her at all before. Maybe there was a part of her deep down that wanted to have a normal relationship with her, to be able to laugh with her and talk with her and not have it devolve into a shouting contest between them. She knew she had those thoughts before, imagining what it would be like to have a friendship with a sibling like other people did, and maybe there was hope in her that their recent conversations were leading to a turning point for Amy.

But that was only hope. Realistically, it wouldn't be that easy. There were too many bad memories, too much trauma, for Sammy to forgive Amy for everything she'd ever done to her.

Maybe someday in the future Sammy could find it to forgive her.

But not right now.

With one final huff she turned back and followed her team to camp. She _really_ needed to get some shut-eye.


	12. Blowing Chunks for Juggy Chunks

She was walking through the woods, completely lost and no idea where she was headed. She wasn't worried, though, this was normal on the island. She admired the trees swaying in the wind and the birds fluttering through the air and the cute rabbits hopping around the berry bushes. She took a blueberry from one and happily munched on it, and continued on her walk to who knew where.

Then, she saw them - a figure in the distance, also walking but away from her. She thought she recognized them, so she tried calling out to them. But there was no reply, and they only continued to walk on ahead and out of view. She didn't know why she got the cold shoulder, so she ran after them.

Past the trees, through the winding paths, and into a cave she went, trying to find the person. It quickly became dark and cold, and she hoped she'd find them soon so they could get out and go back to camp.

Another few feet, and the person reappeared. She was facing away, her pink blouse and skirt contrasting heavily with the red on her arm. She approached and went to call out, but stopped and looked harder. What she thought was a sleeve actually turned out to be blood, dripping to the cave floor, leaving a small puddle in its wake. She called out again, but not only did the figure not answer, she went further in.

She ran after, until she suddenly hit a rock wall. She tried to turn around, but the exit was gone. She was locked in a pitch-black underground cave with no way out, no light source, no one to save her. She cried out again, this time for anyone, anyone at all, to take her away from here. But no one came.

She pounded on the walls, trying to find a way out, until the wall slid open and revealed another path. She took off at a sprint, and it wasn't long until another person passed by. This one was in red with hair the color of the sun, and it hurt her to look at her. She disappeared into the darkness, and though the pain receded she knew she had to go after her.

She ran again, her lungs aching, until she hit _another_ wall. But this one was different. It was warm. And furry. And was looking at her with hunger in its eyes.

The wall roared in her face, and she tried to leave but found herself rooted to the spot. She couldn't move, only scream for help, scream in fear, in terror of being eaten. But the wall had other plans. Instead of clawing her and ripping her apart, it fell on her, pinning her to the ground and cutting off her airways. Her shrieking never stopped, but her voice could no longer be heard, and she could barely breathe under its mass. She tried shaking, kicking, _anything_ to get out of there, to be free, to be done with this and go home already. It was too much to handle, she just wanted to get away from it all and not have to worry about anything ever again.

And then she woke up.

Sammy flew upright, gasping for breath and with a scream on her lips. She looked around to make sure of where she was, to ensure that it had only been a horribly vivid nightmare and nothing more. She was in her bed, in the treehouse, this time sleeping on the other end so that she didn't jolt up and smack her forehead against one of the supports. Apparently, it worked, but that was literally at the back of her mind for the moment.

She was sweating and greedily taking in air, and why wouldn't she? That dream was _way_ too real, almost like she actually couldn't breathe, and it was a painful reminder of what had happened yesterday. Just like with bears, she highly doubted she'd be able to look at any pile of snow the same way ever again. Not without feeling sick to her stomach.

She wanted to curl up into a ball and cry and vent out her fears and feelings. But she didn't get a chance to, on account of Scarlett sticking her head into Sammy's bunk out of nowhere.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked without any warning. Sammy, her nerves already through the roof, shrieked once more, jumped slightly, and struck the crown of her head on the bunk above her. She clutched it in pain as Scarlett looked on. "That looked like it hurt."

"No _crap_ it hurt!" Sammy spat at her. She pushed her way off the bed, passed the brainiac and stormed out onto the balcony. Her emotions were getting the best of her, she knew that, and she figured she'd need to get a bit of air to calm herself down. The night air cooled her off, and she breathed deeply to try and get herself under control.

Unfortunately for her, Scarlett followed her. "I assume you had a nightmare?"

" _Yes_ , I had a nightmare," Sammy said tersely. She really didn't want to have to deal with her right now, so she left it at that and leaned against the railing. Scarlett thankfully read the room and remained quiet as Sammy worked to bring herself back to neutral.

It took a bit of work - she tended to remember her dreams more easily than others, which wasn't always good. And it didn't help that this one was full of painful memories of what had recently happened.

 _I come to Total Drama and the thing I'm taking away from it most is even more trauma. Jeez. I should_ really _consider seeing a therapist when I'm home. Something tells me it's just going to get worse without one._

Soon enough, her breathing returned to normal. She stood from the rail and wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm okay now."

"No, you're not," Scarlett immediately pointed out.

Sammy kept the groan to herself. "And why do you say that?"

"Because one does not wake up from a nightmare screaming bloody _murder_ and just 'get over it'." She approached the railing and leaned her back against it. "I'm really not much of a psychologist, despite studying the subject. But I've been told I'm a good listener. So, if there's anything you want to get off your chest, I'm willing to hear you out."

Sammy eyed her warily. This was the same girl who caused the electrocution of Ella, who apparently went behind her own friend's back to eliminate them. If Sammy were to tell her _anything_ about what she was going through, chances were she'd just use that to her advantage. "Thank you for the offer," Sammy said, "but I'll take my chances elsewhere."

Scarlett shrugged without missing a beat. "No skin off my back."

That said, she didn't leave her alone. Sammy had half a mind to just go back to sleep, to get ready for tomorrow, but she _really_ didn't want to dream again. _Then again… maybe I'll get an answer._ "I have a question," she said after a moment's silence.

"And what would that be?"

"Why did you help Max shock Ella? During the water jousting challenge."

Scarlett blinked, almost as if she were trying to remember actually _doing_ that. "What, that? That wasn't anything more than a ploy to get Max out of the game."

A myriad of questions piled into Sammy's head. "Why'd you target Ella, then?"

She pursed her lips in thought. "I don't believe there was a specific target. She just happened to be next up to bat, so to speak. Had Sky went, or yourself, or anyone else, they would've been on the receiving end instead."

"Huh." _That still doesn't make me feel better._ "And so you used that to… what, get the rest of the team mad at Max?"

"Exactly. I knew the _shock_ of it, pardon the pun, would work everyone up. And it did wonders."

It was a good pun, but Sammy wasn't laughing. "Wasn't he your friend, though?"

But then it was Scarlett who started chuckling. "' _Friend_ '? Please. Far from it. He was an annoyance that latched onto me since day one. He droned on and on about how ' _evil_ ' he was and dared to call me his _sidekick_ of all things. He needed to go, and I simply got rid of him."

"And you roped Amy and Topher into it, too?"

She looked at Sammy with a critical eye. "You were talking with one of them?"

"Well, yeah. You expect your sister to get eliminated one day, and you start to wonder why you're still seeing her the next."

"Hm, fair enough. Yes, I had Amy and Topher help. Your sister was more than eager to shift everyone else's eyes off of her after she lost to you. And all Topher needed was a little buttering up, and he was puddy in the palm of my hand." She readjusted her glasses. "Figuratively speaking, of course."

If Sammy thought about it, she'd say that that was probably one of the few times any real scheming had been done during the season so far. Every elimination up to now had been based on people's poor performances, or someone's sacrifice for their team in Beardo's case. And Sammy was okay with that, it made trusting her friends that much easier. But Scarlett was more than just a humble librarian-type, it seemed, and was willing to work with someone only to stab them in the back not long after. She was someone Sammy needed to watch out for. Even more so than her sister.

Which was just _weird_ to think about.

"So in the end Ella was nothing but a pawn for you to use," Sammy found herself saying.

Scarlett shrugged. "Technically speaking, yes. As was said, it could've been anyone. Besides, I have no ill will towards the girl. I honestly find her singing to be lovely. A shame that McLean said nix to that."

At least there was _something_ they could agree on. "Yeah. It really is."

They were silent for another little while, and Sammy was just about to get up to leave when Scarlett spoke again. "You're awfully smitten with her, aren't you?"

Sammy only groaned and rubbed her hands over her eyes. "Seriously, does _everyone_ know?!"

"I'm afraid you aren't really hiding your attraction to her all that well. If Ella herself hasn't figured it out by now, I'd be truly surprised." Sammy could only offer up another stressed-out groan to that, which didn't go over Scarlett's head. "By the sounds of it, I'd say you're worried about her reaction."

"Her's, Mom's, and just about every member of the audience's."

"Hm." Scarlett seemed to mull something over, and looked back at Sammy. "Far be it for me to give you advice, but why bother worrying about what other people care? If you like someone of the same sex as you, and other people find that bothersome, that's _their_ problem, is it not? Why waste time fretting over people's opinions that are unlikely to change?"

Sammy looked Scarlett square in the eye. "Because unlike you - uh, probably - I've lived my life always expecting the worst out of people. Amy was my tormentor since as far back as I can remember, and she belittled me for every single thing I did and humiliated me in front of others constantly. And now when this stupid show airs and people find out about how I like girls, it's going to be exactly like that, but coming from every direction instead. It wouldn't just be insults, either, it could get _seriously_ violent if people get worked up enough. And don't pretend you don't know what it can be like for a person who _isn't_ strictly straight. _Especially_ when that person is on international TV." She scoffed. "Something tells me they're going to edit out every interaction Ella and I have in some countries this show airs in. Just you watch."

Silence reigned once more, and Sammy couldn't help but think about the negatives of everything happening now. Parts of her were beginning to wish that she had just stayed at home, or even got voted off early, if only so that she could avoid the consequences of falling for someone while on TV. _If I did, it wouldn't have led me to become friends with any of these guys… And I probably would've still been Amy's miserable little servant. But if that was the case, at least Ella wouldn't be singled out just by association. It'll probably be for the best if I just-_

"Screw them."

Sammy, so lost in her thoughts, almost didn't hear Scarlett's whisper. "W-What?"

" _Screw them_ ," she repeated loudly. "I can't say I can relate, as I have no interest in romance, but I _do_ know that nothing good ever comes from people trying to get you to conform to their ideals. Is that not what you've been attempting to do this whole time with your sister?"

Sammy frowned. "W-Well, I mean, yeah, I guess. But there's a difference between one person and, like, a few _million_."

"And so you're suggesting that you're willing to go back to how you were before, simply to please a few people? You won't even attempt to do this for yourself, after suffering at the hands of Amy all this time? For god's sake, girl, grow a _spine_."

Sammy grit her teeth and turned fully towards the redhead. "It's not that easy, you know!"

Scarlett narrowed her eyes and said simply. "So?"

Such a straightforward answer caused Sammy to falter.

"Who said anything about this being _easy_? No, it will not be, and it likely will not get easier. But are you seriously suggesting that you're going to give up because you have to put in some work? Besides," she began approaching her, but Sammy stood her ground, "I'm almost 100% certain that Ella does indeed reciprocate your feelings."

Her eyes went wide. "S-Seriously? Are you sure?"

"Ask anyone else on the island and they'll tell you the same, I assure you."

Sammy's mind went into overdrive. _If Ella_ does _actually like me, then maybe, possibly, we actually have a chance?! Or, wait, hang on… is this just Scarlett trying to mess me up? She_ sounds _genuine, but… this is Scarlett! Who knows what she really has planned! …That said, it is true that a lot of the others are noticing it. Shawn, Topher, even_ Chef _of all people… Maybe she's telling me the truth? Maybe… Maybe Ella really does have feelings for me too?_

"So?"

Sammy looked back up. "So?"

Scarlett's hands were on her hips, and it almost felt like she was towering over Sammy. "Are you going to just sit there and whine and let other people dictate what you can and can't do, who you can and can't like, for the rest of your life? Or are you going to take control of your own destiny, and live life the way _you_ want to live it?"

And of course, it all came back to the very beginning. With a resolute nod, Sammy confidently said, "Yeah… _Yeah!_ I'm not going to be held back by anyone anymore! Doesn't matter if it's just one person, or tons of them! I live for _myself_ , and no one is _ever_ going to tell me how to do that!"

She felt invigorated, energized and ready to tackle anything. Scarlett was right - who _cares_ if other people didn't like her preference in partners? Who _cares_ if people don't like her orientation? She wasn't living for them. She wasn't living for anyone but herself. She had spent this entire game trying to do that, and she was so close to slipping back into her old habits. But not anymore. She was going to redefine what it meant to be herself, and she wasn't going to let anyone stop her.

And maybe, hopefully, Ella would be there with her when that happened.

"I need to confess."

Scarlett quirked a brow. "Pardon?"

With stars in her eyes and a plan in her head, Sammy made for the rope ladder. "I need to confess to Ella that I like her! I've been holding it in for too long!"

She was stopped short by a hand on her shoulder. "Hold your metaphorical horses. That's all well and good, but it's no later than 12:30 in the morning at the moment. Perhaps wait until she's _awake_ before saying anything? It will likely get you a better response."

 _Wow I feel like an idiot again._ "Y-You're right. I got ahead of myself there."

"Evidently."

The two of them retreated back into the treehouse, with Sammy sitting on her bunk and Scarlett climbing back up into hers.

"Why did you give me advice, anyway?" Sammy found herself asking after a moment.

"Simple," Scarlett said. "I can't stand weakness, and I wanted to stomp it out of you."

Sammy laughed a bit. "Wow. That _is_ simple." She paused for a second before adding, "I still don't like you, you know."

Scarlett, without missing a beat, replied, "I'm aware. I'm not looking for your friendship."

"Good." She fell back onto her bed and closed her eyes. "Good." She found herself slowly drifting back to sleep, intent on getting the full rest she desperately needed before the day's challenge…

…Or she would have, if Chris didn't blare the airhorn and announced that the challenge was actually about to _begin_.

* * *

Sammy yawned loudly as she, Scarlett, and the freshly-woken Jasmine trekked through the dark of the woods. She hadn't been feeling the effects of being awake at this hour when she was having her 'conversation' with Scarlett, but now that her adrenaline was disappearing she was craving her bed and pillow all the more now.

"Can't believe I forgot all about the night-time challenge," Jasmine grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"And I can't believe it's happening so _late_ this time around," Sammy replied. "Didn't the last two seasons have theirs earlier in the game than this?"

"I believe it's irrelevant _when_ they occur," Scarlett said. "I simply do not appreciate them happening at _all_. Cognitive function is dependent on REM sleep. If one hasn't gotten the proper amount of rest, they are unable to perform to the best of their ability."

"That's probably why he has them in the first place," Jasmine said. "More of a chance for us to muck it up."

"I had figured that was the reasoning."

The meeting area was thankfully not very far from camp, so the trio of Salmons were the first to arrive. About five minutes later, the four remaining Bears showed up, in various states of drowsiness. Shawn was basically fully awake, what with him being a night owl, while the rest of them were dragging themselves by the feet to get to the area. When their eyes met, Sammy eagerly waved at Ella, unable to contain her excitement. Ella smiled warmly and waved back, though she yawned right after. It was rather amusing and adorable to watch.

"What gives?" Sky asked the host sleepily. It looked like she was about to pass out standing up. "Why are we here so early?"

With a groan, Amy added, "I need my beauty sleep… This has to, like, be illegal somewhere, right?"

"Wrong!" Chris said. He was standing in front of a giant red curtain, and for the life of her Sammy couldn't pick out what was behind it. "Ladies… and Shawn. There's a special reason I've called you all here. It's time to merge the teams." He grinned widely. "Consider yourselves merged!"

There was barely any fanfare to it, Sammy automatically figured Chris had something up his sleeve - he wouldn't just leave it at that. Before she could ask anything, however, Ella stepped in front of the crowd. "If you're merging the teams _now_ , what was the point of shuffling them up two days ago? It seems rather pointless, doesn't it?"

"That was a special punishment given to you because _none of you_ finished that particular challenge," Chris explained. "Doesn't matter now anyway! That's in the past, and we are here in the now! Ready to celebrate getting halfway to the end with a midnight merger meal!"

"A _meal_?" Sammy asked, her head perking up. Her stomach hungered for proper food, but her mind was giving off warning bells left and right.

"This doesn't sit right with me," Jasmine said. "Since when have _you_ done anything nice?"

The charade was quickly dropped. "Alright, alright. The lawyers called and told us that feeding only one team one meal a day is technically ' _starvation_ '. So, this is a legally-forced team merger celebration dinner."

As he said that last line, the curtain rose, and presented everyone with a sight Sammy hadn't been expecting to see at all. A long dining table, the length you'd find in a mansion, was seated in front of them with seven extravagant chairs behind it and several grandiose candelabra on top of it. There were chandeliers hanging from a ceiling, which also housed several lit candles. It looked incredibly expensive and actually ripped from a house of royalty.

In fact, it was to the point where Sammy forgot her senses and her hunger took over. _If the decorations are_ this _fancy… what's the food gonna be like?! Finally, we get to eat actual food!_ She, along with everyone else present, hollered at the news of a meal and the space they'd be eating it in. She was positive that nothing was going to go wrong with this, and they'd be able to play the next challenge on a full stomach.

That is, until Chris presented what the food actually was. Sammy _really_ needed to remember who they were dealing with here.

" _Juggy Chunks?!_ " Amy yelled in disgust when Chef opened the silver platter. "I've never even _heard_ of this gunk before!"

"I feel like I'm going to barf just looking at it," Ella muttered, her arms tightly around her stomach.

"Yeah, we _kinda_ went way over budget with the scenery," Chris explained. "So we had to skimp on the meal. It was _gonna_ be freshly cooked pizza, bison burgers, and sweet potato fries, among other things. But this is the best we could get with what we had left!"

"Where did you even get that stuff?" Shawn asked. "The bottom of the ocean?!" The green foam and the oddly-colored meat-looking-things in the mugs certainly did look like you wouldn't find it anywhere normal.

"That's on a need to know basis, and you don't need to know," Chris answered. "Anywho, everyone step on up and take a seat!"

Everyone looked at each other warily, but they all did as he asked. Ella sidled up to her and looped her arm through Sammy's. "Guess we're together again, now."

"Yeah, totally," Sammy agreed. "You don't know how happy I am that we both made it to the merge. I…" _Don't say it now. After the challenge, that's the best time._ "I really missed you."

"I missed you, too. A lot." The butterflies were starting up again as she took in Ella's happy smile. "C'mon, let's sit down."

They did so, with Sammy near the center of the table. On her left was Scarlett and then Amy, and her right had Ella, Sky, Shawn and Jasmine, in that order. Everyone was eyeing the Juggy Chunk drinks suspiciously as Chef placed one in front of everyone.

"We'll be using this fabulous dinner as a pre-challenge," Chris said. "The first person who finishes their mug of Juggy Chunks will receive immunity, and be safe from elimination! Everyone, grab your chunks! The pre-challenge begins… _now_!"

He punctuated the start of it with his airhorn, but barely anyone picked up their mugs. "This is _repulsive!_ " Jasmine shouted. "Are you sure this is safe for us to eat?!"

"Mostly sure!" Chris answered. "At the very least, it shouldn't kill you!"

"That's really _not_ reassuring," Sky replied.

"I'm not all that fond of the way they're… _bubbling_ ," Ella said, squinting at her mug. "Is that normal?"

"I… I don't know." Sammy said to her. The meat looked like it came from at least ten different animals, and who even knew _what_ that foam was… And the smell was so bad, it made her want to rip her nose off of her face to stop smelling it. "Something tells me this was made in a run-down _laboratory_ rather than in a kitchen."

"I can't," Amy suddenly said, shoving the drink away from her face. "I just… I _can't_. I refuse to put this literal _crap_ anywhere near my mouth. Forget the stupid immunity, I'm sitting this one out."

"I…" Ella likewise pushed hers away. "I have to agree. This looks like something you shouldn't eat, and I _really_ don't want to throw up again tonight." She gave Sammy a sorrowful look. "Sorry."

"Hey, don't apologize," Sammy said. "There's nothing wrong with backing out."

"I suppose."

Despite her saying that, Sammy fully intended on drinking this thing. Or eating it. Or both. She didn't come this far in the game and in her own development to say no to a challenge. No matter how disgusting it actually was.

First though, she wanted to gauge who was currently drinking. And no, this was not stalling. This was… watching the competition. Since they were all merged now, she needed to keep an eye on everyone. Even if she considered some of them friends. And sincerely doubted she'd ever have to use any of this info against them.

Definitely not stalling.

Jasmine was slowly picking at hers, taking sips every now and then but not fully committing to it. Even from the little she'd drank, she already looked sick of it. Shawn was in the same boat as Amy and Ella and had pushed his away, refusing to drink it. Sky was taking quick sips and belching every time she did so, just how it was when she was drinking from the water jug a few days ago. And Scarlett was glaring right into her mug; though she did try and take a big gulp, she quickly gave it up and tossed the cup aside.

"Eating challenges are _not_ my thing," she groaned, and instead chose to put her head down on the table.

Now that Topher was no longer around, Scarlett's elimination was Sammy's top priority. Yes, it was true that Scarlett gave her advice earlier, but that didn't mean she had any good will towards her. She was going to pay for hurting Ella, and Sammy would see to it.

In the midst of all this, she idly wondered when her crosshairs had left Amy and moved on to other people. Oddly, she wasn't too concerned with that.

"You're not drinking either?" Ella asked her curiously.

"Oh, uh, just sizing up the competition, I guess," Sammy stammered. "I'm definitely _not_ stalling." She intended to drink, she really did, but it was… so icky… and it looked like one bit of meat was growing something…

"There's nothing wrong with backing out, you know," Ella told her. With a smile she added, "Someone wise once told me that."

Sammy rolled her eyes at the joke. "Gosh, I wonder who that is."

"I wonder indeed."

"Be that as it may, I still want to say I did _something_ ," she said as she stared down into the drink. "Even if it's just a sip."

Ella hummed in worry. "I guess a _sip_ wouldn't hurt too badly…"

"Alright, I'm about to do it." Sammy gripped her cup with both hands, prayed for the best but fully expected the worst, and said, "Bottoms up." She brought the cup to her lips and tossed it up, intending to drink only a little. But much more of it ended up in her mouth than expected, and she nearly choked on it going down her windpipe.

It… tasted _soggy_. The meat was spongy and chewy at the same time. The foam reminded her of spoiled egg salads, and it flared in her nostrils as she did her best to chew it up. Even that was a challenge, as the stuff got caught in her teeth and stuck to the sides of her mouth, forcing her to scrape it off with her tongue. Swallowing it proved the most difficult of it all, as her body did _not_ want to be ingesting it. It was perhaps the most _disgusting_ thing Sammy had ever drank and/or eaten, and one gulp was too much for her.

Swallowing just once, she coughed and turned to the side, and spat up anything else that was in her mouth. "Oh god," she managed to croak out between coughs. "This is _nasty_!"

She felt Ella's hand on her back, rubbing it soothingly. "Easy there. Just let it out."

"Trying," Sammy said. "It's like… stuck in my teeth."

Ella made a noise of revulsion. "Urgh. That _is_ nasty."

"Yeah, maybe you're better off staying away from it." With a bit more effort, she managed to get the majority of the stuff out of her mouth, but the taste wasn't going anywhere any time soon. Resigning herself to her fate, she sat back in her admittedly comfortable chair and did her best to ignore it. Which was _really_ tough considering the stuff was still right in front of her. "Amy's right, forget immunity. I shouldn't have even touched that mug."

"Well, now you'll remember for next time," Ella said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"The next time I have to drink Juggy Chunks?" Sammy scoffed playfully. "If I _ever_ have to drink this stuff again, it'll be too soon."

Ella leaned over to her to whisper. "I remember the earlier seasons had some pretty bad food, but nothing like _this_. Do you think there's a reason why we're being fed this?"

"Aside from torturing us? There probably isn't a reason." Sammy hummed and sent a glare towards Chris, which he didn't see. "Didn't the lawyers say he was supposed to actually give us food? Won't… _this_ _stuff_ make him get in trouble?"

"If he gets in trouble, that probably means we _will_ get treated to actual food," Ella pointed out. "So… I'm hoping he gets in trouble."

"I absolutely agree with you. Not just because I want _actual_ food, but because he frickin-" She burped loudly. "-deserves it. Oh wow, excuse me." She burped again, covering her mouth with a fist. "Okay. The chunks are _not_ agreeing with my stomach."

"Oh, dear," Ella said. She backed away just a bit, which was honestly more than fair. "That doesn't sound very good."

"I…" Her stomach gurgled a little, and she sheepishly covered it. "I'm sure it'll be fine. I only had a bit of it."

"Hmm," Ella mused. "If you say so."

" _DONE!_ " With a slam of the mug, Sky shouted in frustration. "It's gone! It's _all_ gone!" She had a Juggy Chunks mustache and beard combo, and she looked ready to kill a man. "And let me tell you, that was _the_ worst thing I've ever eaten in my entire life! And I ate a butterfly once!"

Ella gasped sharply, a hand flying to her chest. "Sky!"

She looked over, but her irritation didn't go anywhere. "Not on purpose!"

"Sky wins the pre-challenge!" Chris announced. "And thus, wins immunity!"

Everyone groaned in defeat, and in discomfort in Sammy's case, but the news of her victory didn't make Sky feel any better. "I swear, if I _don't_ win this stupid show after downing an _entire_ glass of this _crap_ , I am going to be _so_ pissed!"

"Sky, mate, you're already pissed," Jasmine said to her, a pained look on her face. "Turn it down a notch, you're gonna pop a blood vessel being that mad."

"I don't care at this point!" she said. "I'm a vegetarian! I shouldn't have to eat this stuff!"

"Then why _did_ you?" Shawn asked.

"Because I wanted the immunity! Obviously! And now I've gone against everything I've believed in!"

"I mean, that's as good a reason as any," Sammy pointed out, and frowned. "Actually it's, like, the _only_ reason."

"Alright, enough yapping, we have a show to film," Chris interrupted, and directed everyone to stand in front of the table. Sky was on one side at the far end, while the rest of the players were at the other. "It's time to introduce our nighttime challenge! Hide and Group Seek!"

"Hide and seek?" Amy asked. "Seriously?"

"Yep!" Chris placed a hand on Sky's shoulder, who looked very visibly uncomfortable by it. He proceeded to detail the challenge: the others are given a ten minute head start to hide, at which point Sky starts looking and has two hours to track them down and tag them. Anyone tagged by Sky joins her group of hunters, and will have to stay with her for the rest of the challenge. Whoever gets caught is up for elimination - anyone _not_ tagged by then gets immunity like her.

Sky, having finally started to calm down, nodded in response and shook Chris's hand off her. "This shouldn't be a problem."

"Good to hear. Any questions before we start?"

"Is there a boundary keeping us from going too far?" Jasmine asked. "I doubt Sky'll be able to look around the entire island in two hours, even if she ends up getting help."

"Good question," Chris said. "Yes, we're currently at the edge of the game area, and you'll have about the same amount of room as you did during the balloon challenge early last week. Going out of bounds nets you a warning, and remaining outside for too long gets you disqualified. Any other questions?"

"I have one," Scarlett raised her hand. "What happens in the off chance that Sky fails to catch anyone? I'd like to think that not _everyone_ would get immunity."

"We've prepared for that situation. If the two hours is reached and no one's caught, the playing area gets drastically smaller and you'll have less space to move around. At which point, the game will end when Sky catches her first victim, and that person gets automatically taken out."

"Hmm. I see. Thank you."

"Anyone else?" No one else had anything. "Alright! Game time is _now_! Hiders, get to hiding!" He sounded the airhorn, and the six campers took off.

Jasmine and Shawn went in similar directions, while Scarlett and Amy took off on their own. Amy spent a second looking back at Sammy, but said nothing as she went into the forest.

Ella was still with her however, which made Sammy's heart flutter with anticipation, but she had to remind herself again to _wait._ Though she was flattered Ella wanted to stick together, however, she was reminded of the time she had last teamed up with someone in a challenge like this." So, where will we hide?" Ella asked her, doing her best to keep up. "Sky is probably the fastest runner out of all of us, so we'll need somewhere good if we want to stay out of her sights. A tree might be nice, one with lots of leaves to keep us hidden. What do you think?"

"Um, about that," Sammy started. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but it might be safest for us to split up for this. I don't want to accidentally get you tagged or anything."

Ella paused, but she didn't let that deter her. "Didn't I say before I'd be there to save you if you were in trouble?"

"I thought that was for- _urrrrp._ Uh, oops." _Wow. Classy. Nicely done, Samantha._ "Excuse me, sorry. I thought that was for like, actually dangerous stuff like… you know, bears."

"I mean, yeah, of course it's for that. But I also meant it in regards to the game itself. You want to win, right?"

Sammy's original goal for joining Total Drama was to get away from her sister, and back then the money was honestly a distant third, after that and making a couple of friends. Now that she felt she was pretty good in the case of goals number one and two… "Well, sure, I guess. At this point I might as well try."

"Then I'll help you," she said simply. "If you need me to give you that push that gets you to the finale, then I'll push you as hard as I can. Okay?"

 _That's super sweet and thoughtful of her. But…_ "Then I'm going to do the same for you."

"Oh?" She asked. She didn't seem too surprised by this.

"Yeah, obviously. I can't have you helping me in the game without me helping _you_. That wouldn't be fair."

Ella giggled, lightly and high-pitched. It made Sammy's heart speed up even more. "No, you're right. It wouldn't be, would it?"

"Yeah. So how about- Oh!" An idea came to her, and Sammy skidded to a halt, prompting Ella to do the same. "How about we make a deal?"

"A deal?" she repeated. "What kind?"

"Like… we help each other get to the finale," she said. "I watch your back, you watch mine. Sort of like-"

"An alliance?" Ella asked. Her eyes were sparkling at the thought.

Sammy grinned. "Yeah, exactly! Especially now that we're all merged. I'm not saying the others are going to gang up on us, but it _is_ technically every person for themselves. We're nearing the end of the game now, so we'll need to think carefully about what we do from here on out."

"And what better way to up our chances than to work together, right?" Ella smiled widely and grinned. "In that case… of course! I'd love to be your alliance partner."

"Woo-hoo!" Sammy pumped her fists into the air. "You won't regret this! I swear!"

"No, I most certainly won't." Ella tipped her head to the side and put a finger to her chin. "That said… If one of us does win, what do you say about splitting the money?"

"You mean like, 50-50?" Sammy asked, and received a nod in return. "Sure! 500,000 is more than enough for me anyway."

"Then it's settled! We'll stick together from here on out!"

Ella held out her right hand, and Sammy took it in her own. A shake, and the deal was made. _My first official alliance… This is perfect! The competition is tough, but with Ella and I working together I think the chances of one of us getting to the finale is pretty good. Hopefully._

"Now, we should keep moving before Sky starts after us." Ella started to run again.

Sammy was right behind her. "You got it-" And that's when the pain hit her. Not sharp pain, but the pain one gets after overeating. Or the kind that comes around when the food wants to go back up. "Hrk- H-Hang on, I've got stomach cramps. Ooh, those Juggy Chunks are fighting back with a vengeance."

Ella stopped and turned around, her face was full of worry. "Are you good to keep going? Or should we find a place here and rest? I'm okay with either, as long as we're well-hidden."

"I-I think I'll be good to go," Sammy said. "Maybe. P-Probably. Let's just try running and if it gets worse I'll let you know."

"Well… Okay, but don't hesitate to tell me, alright?"

"Yeah, of c-course."

They took off together, but this time at a much slower pace. They were unsuccessful in finding a decent hiding spot by the time Chris blew his airhorn again, unfortunately, so their plan changed to being constantly on the move to try and outpace Sky. It wasn't the best on her stomach, but Sammy was glad that she was working together with Ella again, even if at first she was hesitant about it.

If only she hadn't eaten those _lousy_ Juggy Chunks.

* * *

"S-Stop. Stop, please. I-I don't- I don't feel… Something's wr-wrong."

Sammy leaned against the nearest tree and groaned in pain. They'd been on the move for about half an hour, and her stomach hadn't let up at all since it started hurting. It was slowly but surely becoming unbearable, and chances were she'd be spewing her guts in a bush soon.

Ella was at her side at a moment's notice, though she wasn't sure what to do. Her hands were trying to find somewhere to be put - her shoulders, her back, or somewhere similar - but she kept backing off as well, almost like she wanted to be nowhere near her when Sammy began spewing. "Just- Just take deep breaths. Stay calm."

"I-I'm trying but it hurts." She did her best to control her breathing, but nothing was working. "Ella, it hur- it _hurts_."

"Oh dear," she whispered. "Oh dear oh dear oh dear. What do I do?" She stood up and looked around, almost like she was hoping to see someone, but she let out a frustrated growl and knelt back down. "W-What do you feel? How bad is it, on a scale of one to ten?"

"I feel… _pain_ ," Sammy stammered out. "I don't know how to explain it. I-It's just… really, _really_ bad stomach pains. On a s-scale, probably an eight. I've n-never felt anything like thi-this before."

"And this only started after eating the Juggy Chunks, right?"

"Y-Yeah."

"And… you feel like you might throw up?"

"Ohhh yeah."

Her mouth formed a thin line and she nodded. "I think you're suffering from food poisoning."

"F- _Food poisoning?!_ " Sammy nearly screamed. "I-I've never been- I've-" Her breathing was doing the exact opposite of slowing down. "Ella, I'm s-scared. I don't- I don't want- I _can't_ -"

"Sammy," she was saying, desperately holding her shoulders to keep her still. "Sammy, just, please, calm down! You're going to be fine! Food poisoning doesn't kill you! It hurts, yes, but it only lasts for a little while!"

Sammy looked up at her - or at least, she tried. Her vision was sort of… swimming. "How long is 'a li-little while'?" she asked.

"A few hours, give or take?" Ella answered. "M… Maybe a day or two. But not very often!"

"A day or two?! I-I don't even want to be like this for a few ho-hours!" All this yelling and stress was definitely not doing anything to help, but she had gone past the point of trying to calm down. "Why does stuff like th-this keep happening?! Almost every one of these st-stupid challenges have been s-so painful!" Sammy normally managed to keep these feelings under wraps, as they wouldn't do anything or lead to anywhere. It was a mindset she developed after Amy shut down her complaints one too many times, but now those feelings of anger and frustration were just pouring out. "It's just been one thing after another! I-I figured I'd need therapy just f-for Amy's crap, but here?! With the bears, and the c-cave ins and the avalanches?! I think I've only just been getting worse! I had a r-really bad nightmare about _all of that_ before waking up, a-and I'm really not over it yet!"

"A nightmare…?" Ella gave Sammy one of the most sympathetic looks she'd ever seen. "Oh, Sammy, that must've been _horrible_ …"

"It… It was. Not t-to mention you getting electrocuted scared the bejesus out of me. I can still hear you screaming in my head, you kn-know."

"Oh… Oh, god. I'm so sorry."

"It's- It's not your fault."

"I know it's not, but _still_."

It was getting to the point where most simple movements just straight up hurt - her breathing became irregular and sharp, and she was clutching at her stomach something fierce, as if that would take the pain away. It didn't, really. "Sometimes I just want to go ho-home."

"Go home?" Ella repeated. "But…"

"Ye-yeah. This is starting to become too much for me. I-I mean… They've already poisoned us. What are they gonna d-do next, blow the island up? They're already hiding secrets on here, who- urgh, who knows what else they have up their sl-sleeves…"

"You don't… really mean that, do you?" Ella asked. "About going home?"

It was only then that Sammy saw the hurt look on Ella's face, and realized what she was saying. _And after I just made an alliance with her… She must think I'm flaking on her._ "Oh… Oh, no no. I don't. Not really. I mean, I _do_ , but I-I'm just… I'm just so, _so_ frustrated at everything r-right now." Another wave of pain decided to spring up at that moment, and Sammy growled and slammed a fist against the tree. "And these stomach pains _aren't helping!_ "

"Maybe we should find someone," Ella suggested, standing once more. "Someone on the crew, and they can take you to the infirmary again and get you looked at."

"I guess." Moving seemed to be too much trouble though. In fact, as she tried to push herself to stand up straight, her center of gravity decided to give out completely, and she fell over onto her side. "Ow."

"Oh no," Ella gasped lightly, flying to Sammy's aid. "Are you alright?"

"I dunno," she replied. Try as she might, she couldn't properly focus her eyes on Ella. "Everything's all… w-wobbly."

Ella whined in frustration. She took Sammy's hands and attempted to pull her to her feet. "C-Come on, we can't stay here. I'll support you as best I can, okay? Just… please stand up."

"But the ground is so c-comfortable," Sammy moaned. "And moving d-doesn't hurt as bad."

"Yes, okay, but if we stay here we're likely to get-" She glanced up, did a double take, and sighed. "…caught."

Curious to what she was looking at, Sammy rolled herself over and squinted into the darkness. It was _very_ tough to make out, what with everything being blurry and her vision refusing to stay still, but she was _just_ able to see a bright beige patch amongst the dark trees and bushes.

"Wh-What is it?" Sammy asked. "I can't tell."

"Sky found us," Ella bemoaned. "Though… she's certainly taking her time getting here."

"Oh." Even in her current state of body and mind, she knew there was still work to be done. And despite her complaints, she knew she couldn't just quit, not after agreeing to see this to the end. Sammy tried to get up, but no matter how much she forced herself she could only manage to sit on her butt. "That's not good."

"It's not, no."

"Here, h-help me up." Ella took her hand and pulled her to her feet, though Sammy needed to use her as support. "W-We need to go."

"I'm guessing you can't walk very well if you fell over that easily," Ella noted. "It'll be slow going, but…" She looked over her shoulder at Sky. Sammy did so as well, and noted that even in her haze she could tell Sky hadn't covered much of the ground between them. "We should be fine. I think Sky's feeling the same effect as you."

"Y-Yeah. Actually, it might b-be worse for her since she drank _all_ of her chunks…"

"Oh, that's true… I wish we could help her as well. But I'm guessing Chris wouldn't halt the game for something even as bad as this."

"That is _so_ something he would d-do. Or wouldn't do. Or something." Ella hoisted Sammy's arm over her shoulders and grabbed her waist with her other arm, and slowly the two set off away from Sky. As Ella had said, they were unable to move very fast, and because she was unable to turn her head around Sammy could only hope they were keeping just out of their hunter's reach.

But moving ended up being a problem in and of itself - each and every step caused her stomach to cry out in pain. Her spinning head wasn't helping matters either, and her condition made it infinitely more difficult for Ella to maneuver down the path.

It was beginning to get to the point where everything combined made concentrating on the matter at hand nearly impossible, and soon Sammy was only registering everything as a blur.

At one point she broke free from Ella, ran into the bushes and threw up. It was gross and painful and left her mouth tasting like outdated hamburgers, but Ella helped her regain her feet and they pressed forward. When she looked back, though, there were no bushes to be found. Weird, but her mind quickly went elsewhere.

Unfortunately, that delay allowed Sky the time to catch up to them and, also unfortunately, tag them. Sammy wasn't able to remember if anything was said between them, but in the end she and Ella followed Sky wherever she chose to go.

Jasmine appeared at… some point. Sammy took one step faster to try and chase after her but immediately decided that was a bad idea when she threw up once more.

There was… something about a tree… And Shawn was there too. Probably trying to climb the tree? She wasn't sure if it was him, or herself.

And then, not too long later, Sammy remembered feeling weightless, and then pain, and then nothing.

* * *

She awoke to the sounds of beeping, a sharp pain in her stomach, an aching pain all over, and the uncomfortable feeling that this wasn't the first time this happened.

With a groan she pushed herself up and clutched at both her gut and her head. "Oww…" she moaned, and looked at her surroundings. As she thought, she was back in the infirmary, in the exact same bed as yesterday. "Great," she huffed. "Another disastrous challenge that definitely won't haunt me for the rest of my life."

"Oh good, you're up," Chef said to her when he noticed her rising. He was sitting at the desk writing something down. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I ran into a wall," Sammy answered bitterly. "And then the wall punched me in the gut."

Chef chuckled and walked over to her. "Yeah, falling from a tree with food poisoning would feel like that."

Her head sharply turned to him. "I fell from a _tree_? I guess that explains the pain, but what… What _happened_ , anyway? I can't remember anything up after a certain point…" She was still half-asleep and her head was still foggy, so it made trying to recall anything tough.

"I didn't catch everything, so I'm not the one to ask. But if I were you, I'd save the stories til later." He started another quick examination of her, which she didn't put up a fuss about.

"Why's that?" she asked.

"That's not my place to say."

Sammy only grunted in response.

Probably to make her more annoyed, Chef just laughed. "That said, Ella's just outside, so you may want to speak with her."

After the examination, Chef gave her the okay to leave. She still felt a little off, but nowhere near as bad as before. Opening the flap to the tent, she noticed that it was still nighttime out. If she had to guess, it was probably somewhere around four in the morning… though she had no way of really knowing.

True to Chef's word, Ella was outside. But instead of standing around and waiting, she was sitting down against a tree and her head in her chest, sound asleep and lightly breathing. _She's such a peaceful sleeper, even when sitting at a tree… What I wouldn't give for that._

The last thing Sammy wanted to do was to interrupt her rest, but something told her that sleeping like that wasn't going to do her any favors.

"Psst, Ella," she whispered, gently shaking her shoulder. "You should wake up."

It didn't take too much jostling to get her to wake up. Her eyelids fluttered open, like the wings of a butterfly, and she looked tiredly up at Sammy. "Oh… Good morning."

"Morning, sleepy head," Sammy laughed.

She offered to help Ella to her feet, which she accepted. Shaking her head to rid herself of the cobwebs, she asked her, "How are you feeling?"

"I've had better days, but I'm much better than yesterday," Sammy said. "Didn't need to stay in there nearly as long."

"That's good," Ella said. Her demeanor was a touch more subdued than normal, and her face was set in determination. "Because we have a problem."

Sammy swallowed. "Oh. That's, uh, _not_ good. What's the issue?"

Ella sighed and rubbed her hands together nervously. "They only told this to the ones who didn't need their stomachs pumped, so you wouldn't-"

"Wait, _stomachs pumped?_ " She unconsciously covered her gut. "You mean that happened to me? What the heck?"

"It was to get all of the expired Juggy Chunks out of you." She leaned in to her and whispered, "Apparently they went bad back in the 1970s!"

"And we _ate_ them?! Jesus Christ. No wonder we had food poisoning…" She looked at her stomach, to see if there were any incisions she wasn't aware of. "How do you even…? You know what, never mind, unimportant. You said we had a problem?"

"Yes, well… More like two. Do you want the bad news, or… the worse news?"

Sammy frowned. "I'm not liking my options."

"Trust me, I don't like them as much as you."

She pushed the heels of her hands into her eyes and moaned. "Okay. Give me the bad news."

Ella looked up at the sky, specifically at the moon hanging overhead, and said, "If my guess is right… we only have about 30 minutes before we must be done voting."

Sammy's eyebrows shot up. "Wh- 30 minutes?! Normally we get the whole afternoon and evening! What gives?"

Ella shrugged. "I asked that same thing, and Chris told us he wants to get the elimination done before sunrise." She glared off to the side. "I doubt he'd let something as ' _insignificant_ ' as half the contestants in the infirmary slow that down."

"Ugh, that's so like him," Sammy groaned. "Crap… okay. Let's walk and talk, we need to find the confessional and in this maze of an island, it could literally be anywhere."

She set out to walk, but Ella grabbed her hand to hold her in place. "Wait. You need to hear the last bit _now_."

Sammy saw the look on her face, and didn't argue. Ella did _not_ look happy. "What is it?" she asked hesitantly.

Her mouth drew down at the sides. "You're not going to like it. Out of all seven of us… there are only three people up for elimination."

" _What?!_ " Sammy's thought process shut down entirely; she could barely believe what she was hearing. " _Seriously?_ I figured Sky would've done a better job than that at finding people!"

"You'd think that, but the Juggy Chunks affected her the worst," Ella explained. "It's no surprise, really. I remember she was barely able to walk. It would've been impossible for her to catch everyone with how slow she was going… And since we all had to stick as a group, I couldn't go running off after anyone, so almost no one was caught…"

That sentence caused the realization to click in Sammy's head. "So… we're two of the ones up for elimination…"

"Yeah…"

"But then… who's number three?" She hoped against hope that it was either Scarlett or Amy, but she could tell from Ella's expression that it wasn't going to be that easy.

With a heavy sigh, Ella wrapped her arms around herself. "Shawn."

" _Shawn?_ Oh, no… No no _no_ …" This whole situation was perhaps the worst case scenario for _everything_ that could've gone wrong. Not only were Scarlett and Amy safe from being voted out, it was going to come down between two of her friends and herself… "Where were Scarlett and Amy hiding, if Sky couldn't find them?"

"Amy said that she was hiding up a tree," Ella said. "Given how many trees there were in the area, I'm not surprised that she wasn't caught. We couldn't have checked all of them, not in the condition you two were."

Sammy clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Of _course_ she manages to do good when it most inconveniences us… That's so like Amy."

"As for Scarlett, I'm not sure. I haven't seen her since she was taken in for treatment." Ella glanced over to the tent. "Is there anyone else in there?"

"I'm not sure, I didn't really look," Sammy answered. Truthfully, she was a bit too preoccupied thinking about the elimination to worry about that. "This has _got_ to be the worst thing that could happen, though. The only people I'm allowed to vote for are myself and two of my best friends… And one of them I helped get together with his current girlfriend! Ugh, what am I supposed to do?"

There was a pause between them. "What you should do…" Ella said slowly, thinking her words out. "…Is play the game."

Sammy looked to her in surprise. "What?"

"Play the game. We _have_ to vote for someone tonight. I don't think Shawn is going to offer to take himself out, so… we don't really have a choice."

She wasn't wrong about that, Sammy realized. It still _sucked_ , though.

"I mean… that's what we agreed on, right?" Ella continued. She almost seemed to shrink in on herself. "Unless you really _want_ to go home…"

"Wh- Ah! No no! That…" _Argh, curse my Juggy Chunk'd brain! I didn't want to say that!_ "Okay, look, these last few days have been really tough on me and yes, there's a part of me that wants to go home so I don't have to deal with this anymore. But!" She took a hold of Ella's shoulders, and she looked into Sammy's eyes. "I said I'd do my best to get one or both of us to the finale, and I plan on doing that! I'll shove my annoyance at the show aside for now to focus on getting us both through! So please don't think I've given up on us, okay?"

Ella's eyes were wide and blinking rapidly, and Sammy could've sworn there was a bit of color to her face, not that she could see well in the dark. She didn't answer for a few moments, and it lasted for long enough that Sammy was starting to think she had said something wrong, as usual. When she finally spoke, however, it was so quiet Sammy almost missed it.

"On… _us_?"

Sammy's own words sunk in after a moment, and she instantly decided it would be best if she crawled in a hole and died. "I- I mean- I, uh-"

 _Wait, no!_ her mind desperately called out to her. _This is your chance! You're with her, alone - this is the perfect opportunity! Tell her how you feel! And don't you dare chicken out!_

"I-I-" Sammy did everything in her power to control her breathing. It wasn't really helping, but it would have to do. Working up as much nerve as she could, Sammy looked the girl in front of her right in the eyes. "Ella, listen, I have to tell you something. Something _super_ important."

Ella's eyes instantly started _glowing_. Deep browns filled with love and life drew her in, and she found it almost impossible to look away. Without turning her gaze away herself, Ella took Sammy's hands off her shoulders and held them in her own hands, somewhat clumsily. "Y-Yes!" she said rather quickly. Ella cleared her throat and took a breath. "Um… I mean, what is it?" Even though she spoke more softly, there was still an eagerness to her voice.

_You see? She's been waiting for this too! She feels the same way! You have to do it! Don't mess it up!_

This was the moment of truth. This could make or break _everything_ , she knew that. But she _had_ to do this, no matter what. If she didn't step up and confess, she was going to regret it for the rest of her life.

So she pushed away all of her fears, all of her insecurities, and all of her anxiety. She was going to do this. She was going to take those first steps towards happiness and love, and _no one_ was going to stop her.

"Ella… I… The truth is, I really-"

"Ugh, my head is _ringing_ ," groaned Sky as she exited the tent. "And my stomach feels like it's trying to riot against me."

"Yeah, well, drinking an entire mug of expired Juggy Chunks'd do that," Chef Hatchet replied, following her. "You took the brunt of it out of everyone, so make sure you take it easy for a bit."

"I will, thank you. Oh, Sammy, Ella! I'm glad you're… here…"

Sammy wasn't looking at anything, her gaze unfocused. Her hands were clenched and shaking in agitation, and her smile was wide and crooked and not at all happy. And just like always, her inability to keep talking when interrupted came in full force, and at _the_ most inopportune time, to boot. _Is it too late to go find that hole to crawl into and die in?_

Ella was looking frantically between Sammy and Sky, but stayed silent. Sky did likewise, probably realizing what she had just interrupted.

Chef, meanwhile, also realized, but had no qualms about keeping quiet. "Oof, this just got _really_ awkward, didn't it?" Three sets of eyes whirled on him, and he flinched accordingly. "Uhhh… Right. I, uh, gotta go… feed the… interns. Yeah." With all the subtlety of an elephant, Chef backed up a handful of steps, and took off at a dash away from the girls.

With him gone, the only one left standing around was Sky, and she was looking just as uncomfortable. "I am… _so_ sorry. I'll just… be on my way…"

Sammy let out a haggard breath. _Welp. The moment's ruined anyway. And we probably only have, what, 25 minutes? It will have to wait._ "Sky, hold on."

Sky froze mid-step, and walked back to where she had exited the tent. "Uh… yeah?"

"We need to talk." She gave one last forlorn look to Ella, and turned to face Sky fully. "About the elimination. Did Chef tell you?"

Seeing that she wasn't in any immediate danger, Sky took the opportunity to talk about anything else readily. "Uh, nope! I just woke up. And honestly, I can't really remember what happened."

"Neither can I," Sammy told her. "Ella brought me up to speed, though."

At the mention of her name, Ella broke out of the trance she had entered and shook her head wildly. "Um, r-right! I didn't eat any of those rotten chunks, so I remember everything." Ella and Sammy quickly informed Sky of the situation, who was shocked at her performance, and devastated to hear the results.

"Are you serious?" she asked, her arms crossed and a vexed look on her face. "I really screwed up on this one, didn't I?"

"Please don't beat yourself up over it," Ella told her. "You couldn't have predicted what the Juggy Chunks would do to you."

"I know! But still!" Sky growled and kicked at a rock at her feet. "So not fair."

"It's not, no, but that's the hand we're currently dealt."

Sammy sighed and rubbed her neck. "Well, I know who I'm voting for. It sucks like _crazy_ , but at this point I don't think we can rely on anyone pulling a Beardo and taking themselves out for the sake of the others. We're so close to the end, anyone who votes themselves out _now_ would have to be nuts."

"I agree," Sky said to her. She looked up to Ella. "Who are you voting for?"

Ella blinked at her. "Well, isn't that obvious?"

Sky smirked, though it was somewhat sheepish. "Yeah, I should've guessed."

"What about you?" Sammy asked her.

With a scoff, Sky's smile turned more genuine. "C'mon, do you need to ask? Shawn. I'm not turning my back on you guys now. Besides, he's cool and all but the two of us weren't ever all that close. It's a no-brainer."

"So that's three out of seven," Sammy said. "What about the others? Jasmine and Shawn obviously are going to go for one of us, not that I blame them. But what about Amy and Scarlett? They could literally vote for anyone."

Ella rubbed at her chin in thought. "Do you think… Amy would vote for you, just because? It seems like something she'd do."

Sammy sighed and played with the side of her bangs. "I mean… Okay, before these last few days, I would've said yes without any hesitation. But now… I don't know. She's been acting different lately. And I'm able to have a civil conversation with her before it turns ugly, which, like, is a _huge_ step up from how they normally go."

"But is that enough for her to _not_ want to vote for you?" Sky asked.

Sammy shook her head. "I really don't know. I get the feeling that she wants to tell me something, but whatever it is she just hasn't been able to. Maybe she'll stay away from voting for me so that she gets more opportunities to talk, but… I can't say for certain."

"Well, in her case we'll just say she's an unknown," Ella said. "But as for Scarlett, I can see her wanting to vote based on the capabilities of the people up for elimination, rather than any personal reason."

"You think so?" Sammy asked her.

"Mm-hm. Think about it: Shawn and Jasmine are dating - which is super adorable by the way and I _will_ be gushing about it with you later - and that means they're definitely going to start working together. They're also _incredibly_ talented when it comes to the game, in strength, agility and survivability. They can both easily get to the final two, especially when compared to the rest of us, barring Sky, perhaps. If Scarlett wanted to keep herself safe, she'd go for the biggest threat available. And in this case, that's Shawn."

"Huh. I never thought of it like that." _Guess I'm not much of a strategist then._ "I'll be honest, I never expected to hear that coming from you."

Ella shrugged nonchalantly. "I may have watched the show originally for the songs in World Tour, but I guess some other things stuck around as well."

"So we can count on her vote, probably," Sky said, getting the conversation back on track. "Meaning that it's now four to three, in our favor."

"Yeah," Sammy said with a sigh. "It doesn't feel good, voting out a friend, though. I wish we didn't have to do this…"

"But this _has_ to be done," Ella said firmly. "I know we've made so many friends along the way, but we're going to start getting to a point where there's _only_ friends left. What happens then? Will nobody be voted off? That would be ideal, but it's not realistic."

Sammy was left speechless at that as it sunk in. She was right, of course - no matter how much she moaned or begged, this was how things had to go. Shawn was a good friend, maybe not as close as she was with Ella or Sky, but she still considered him as such. It was going to be difficult, but she would have to pull through no matter what. With a heavy sigh, she nodded at Ella. "You're right, of course. Sorry, I'm just getting wrapped up in my head again."

"It's okay," she told her with a warm smile. "Just remember to unwrap yourself when you're ready to come back."

Sammy snorted and hid her laugh behind a hand. "Oh, wow, that was bad. You need to work on your puns."

Ella feigned offense and put her hands on her hips. "You're one to talk! All your puns are so groan-worthy."

"Eh, you're probably right," Sammy said with a shrug.

Ella grinned. "I _know_ I'm right."

"That said, though…" Sammy turned back to her. "Thanks, seriously. It's nice to have friends, but there will be times when our best interests don't match up. So we just gotta do what we can."

"Right," she replied.

Sammy took a quick glance at Ella, from head to toe, and gave her her own warm smile. "You know, you've grown. I can tell."

She grinned widely. "I've done my best to stop pretending and start focusing on what's actually happening. It's difficult, but I'm managing."

"You're doing more than managing," Sammy told her. "In fact, I'd say you're doing a great job of it."

"Thank you. I learned from the best."

"I'm, uh, sorry to interrupt," Sky said awkwardly. " _Again._ But we really don't have much time left from what you guys told me. We should hurry up and vote."

"Oh, gosh, you're right." Sammy refocused herself and got right back on track. "C'mon, we need to go find the confessional."

The three of them left the infirmary, lightly chatting amongst themselves. In the back of her mind, Sammy was berating herself for messing up and missing her chance to tell Ella the truth. It was _the_ perfect opportunity, and she just _had_ to be a stammering idiot and waste too much time. If they had been in any other location it would've been fine. Now she had to wait for another moment to present itself before she could say anything.

 _There_ is _plenty of downtime between challenges… I'm sure my time will come soon enough._

* * *

A little while later, and the three of them entered the elimination area. Shawn and Jasmine were already there, sitting in the back row, along with Amy and Scarlett who were in front of them. Sammy paid the latter two no mind as she sped up and walked up to her friends. Jasmine, seeing them first, jabbed Shawn in the arm. He let out a grunt, but stood up when he saw her approach.

"Shawn," she started, wringing her hands nervously. "I-I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, I know," he said with a solemn nod. "I am, too."

"It's just a… This is a really, _really_ sucky situation."

"It really is." He sighed and pulled at his toque. "But… hey, it's just a game, right?"

Sammy raised her brows at him. Part of her thought he'd be more rattled about it. "Uh… it is, yeah."

"So… no matter what happens, no hard feelings?" He held out his hand and offered her a resigned smile.

She stared at the hand longer than she should've, and quickly reached out to shake it. "Y-Yeah, of course! No hard feelings either way."

"Cool." He did the same to Ella as she approached, and she shook it without a second thought. "Good luck. To both of you."

"You as well," Ella said. She took her seat, and Sammy did the same next to her.

Everyone was silent as they waited for Chris to show, the tension cutting through any attempts at conversation. All the while, Sammy's mind was listing out all the things that could go wrong, starting with everyone all of a sudden ganging up on her, to being eliminated by Chris just for the heck of it. It was all irrational, just like it had always been, but she was getting better at telling herself to ignore it.

Chris soon arrived on the scene, smug as ever, with Chef right behind him, pointedly _not_ looking at Sammy and Ella. Chris was holding his tray of marshmallows, and on it there were only two of them. It really drove home the fact that Sammy was voting off one of her friends, forcing her to clench her teeth and squeeze her fists to remind her that that was the only thing they could do.

"Well now," Chris spoke as he stopped walking. "What an interesting turn of events. This is probably one of the few times in Total Drama history where there's only a handful of you who could get voted out in a single night!"

"'Probably'? You don't know if this has happened before?" Jasmine asked.

"Eh. Who could say?" Chris shrugged without a care. "I don't keep track of this sort of stuff."

"But… you're the _host_ ," Scarlett pointed out. "Shouldn't you remember these sorts of things?"

"Hey, brah, you can't expect me to remember every single time I kick someone off the island. Or out of a plane. Anywho, we've got a schedule to keep and we're burning moonlight." He cleared his throat to resume. "Of you remaining seven, only three are up for elimination. No thanks to Sky."

The athlete huffed and turned her head away. "You mean no thanks to that crud that you fed us. Why didn't you stop the game when you found out, anyway?"

"I wasn't going to waste a perfect opportunity like that. Now zip it, and quit interrupting me!" Sky growled but said nothing more. Chris then looked each of the night's victims in the eye, and no matter how much she tried to fight it Sammy found herself squirming under his stare. "Samey. Ella. Shawn. You three unlucky campers get the honor of either receiving a marshmallow, or not. And since we're past the merging point, you kinda want that marshmallow."

He paused, soaking in the anxiety of the campers around him. It _really_ didn't do anything to calm Sammy's nerves.

Picking up one of the two treats, he eyed it critically, like he was trying to understand it on a deeper level, but it was obvious he was just playing up the drama. "The first of the two people safe from elimination tonight is…"

He drew it out for as long as he could, his gaze passing over the three of them several times. Sammy found her heart rate and breathing spike dramatically, and it was only when Ella wrapped a hand around hers that she managed to calm herself a bit more.

When a suitable amount of time had passed - for Chris at least, for everyone else it was _far_ too long - he grinned and tossed the marshmallow to the victor.

" _Ella._ "

So surprised she was that she barely managed to catch the snack in her hands. She let out the biggest sigh Sammy had ever heard, though she didn't start munching on the marshmallow right away. She took Sammy's hand once more and squeezed it tightly. One of them was safe - now they just had to see if the other one was as well.

"And now, the final two of the night." Sammy shared a look with Shawn, and they nodded to one another. Chris turned to him first. "Shawn, you're up for elimination because of your uncanny athletic ability, and because you're dating quite possibly the physically strongest contestant we've ever had on the show. You're a powerhouse couple, and some of these guys think you need to be broken apart."

Shawn, despite being the big target on his back, only folded his arms. "True. We do make a pretty strong team." He glanced at Jasmine and grinned, who blushed and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Both Sammy and Ella, despite the tension, quietly squee'd in delight.

"And Samey," Chris said suddenly, causing her to sit up straight and stop making noise. "You're on the chopping block for your subpar athletic capabilities, yet also for your unusual talent of making allies and friends quickly, and some people here think of that as a threat."

Sammy faltered for just a moment. She wasn't sure what to expect when Chris started talking about her, but it certainly wasn't _that_. "I… don't understand," she said unsuredly. "I haven't been doing anything special. Have I?" She asked this to Ella, causing the other girl to blink.

"Not particularly," she answered. "You're just a really good person. I can see why others are drawn to you."

" _Really_?"

"Yeah. Me, Sky, Shawn, Jasmine, Beardo… You kind of made friends with us pretty easily, now that I think about it."

Sammy shook her head in disbelief. "OMG… Seriously? Where was this _before_ I came onto the show?" She knew it was because of Amy and her overbearing attitude stunting Sammy's growth, but to only find out _now_ that she apparently had a knack for making friends was like a big slap to the face.

Chris got everyone's attention back with a whistle. "A _hem_. Shawn. Samey. One of you is getting this last marshmallow. And the other is getting blasted off of this island, never to return. And that person is going to be…"

If the butterflies in her stomach kept festering, she was likely to throw up again. Her hands were clenched tight, one around Ella's, and she was squeezing back just as hard. She did everything in her power to keep from hyperventilating, knowing that the pressure would likely get to her. Sammy knew that Shawn was the more likely target, but if people actually found her a threat, then that could be dangerous for her future. If she got voted off… and be forced to leave Ella on her own, without doing anything to help her… without _confessing_ to her… she wouldn't know what to do.

Chris, smuggly glancing back and forth between the two of them, drawing out every last possible second that he could, finally relented when enough was enough, and tossed the marshmallow towards the campers.

In a tone that betrayed the strain everyone else was feeling, Chris said simply,

" _Shawn._ "

Sammy was even more surprised than Ella must have been, as she was too busy registering the information to see the marshmallow before it bounced off her forehead. Ignoring it, she sighed in both relief and sorrow - relief that she was safe, and sorrow that her friend was still leaving.

Ella let out another sigh herself, one that seemed bigger than Sammy's. She wrapped Sammy in a hug and rubbed her back soothingly. Sammy, so lost in her thoughts of relief, barely heard Ella mumble, "Oh, thank god… Thank god…"

Sammy held Ella back, but her eyes wandered to the other side of the area. For the most part, Shawn seemed rather neutral to results, almost as if he expected this outcome. He did sigh and give Jasmine a look - it wasn't sadness or frustration, but rather resignation. And that made Sammy's heart break all the more.

He stood without a word and followed Chris and Chef down the path, and Sammy, gently unwrapping Ella's arms from around her, quickly ran after him. "Uh- Hey, man. You okay?"

He turned to her, mildly surprised. "Not exactly, but I mean… It is what it is."

"Wait, really?" She tilted her head to the side in thought. "You said the other day you really wanted the money for your bunker, right? I thought you'd be more torn up about this."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm bummed as heck about not winning. But…" His eyes went past her and back up the path, back to the ceremony area. "Jazz and I've been talking since we got together, and it sorta made me realize that… life's kinda short. Even with the inevitable - and _very_ real, obviously - zombie apocalypse on the way, I should be spending my time a bit better than worrying about it every single second of the day."

 _Well, this sounds like growth if I've ever heard it._ "Oh yeah? That so?"

"Yep. And I mean, I'm still gonna get ready for it. No way am I throwing _years_ of work and preparation down the drain that easily."

 _Aaand there's the Shawn I know._ "Right…"

"But…" he continued, "maybe I should take the time to appreciate what I've got now. Because when the apocalypse _does_ come, I may not have that anymore."

Sammy found herself smiling at that. _Huh… At least he's made_ some _progress._ "I'm glad to hear you come to that decision," Sammy told him. "And… For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I helped get you and Jasmine together, and here we are separating you two already…"

Shawn shrugged. "Wasn't really unexpected. Something like this was bound to happen eventually. And not to toot my own horn, but Jasmine and I _are_ heavy hitters, so if either of us were going to get sent home, it'd be the one that could actually get votes. Once we were told the results of the challenge an hour ago, it was pretty obvious who would lose."

"Yeah. Ella was saying the same thing earlier."

Shawn looked at her. "Ella was?" Sammy nodded, and he hummed in response. "Huh. She's more perceptive than I thought."

"Uh-huh. There's more layers to her than one might think."

"I don't doubt that."

They reached the cannon, and with a sigh the two of them looked up at it. "Guess this is it," Sammy said.

"Guess so." Shawn looked at her with a warm smile, and he stuck his hand out towards her. "Thanks for everything, Sammy. I… uh, know I haven't been the most friendly person here-"

"Better than some people," she interjected with a giggle.

"-but you've got a good heart," Shawn continued, "and I can respect that."

Sammy eagerly took his hand in hers and shook it heartily. "You're not bad yourself, Zombie Boy. See you on the other side."

With that, Sammy walked back to where Ella, Sky and Jasmine were waiting. Seeing her opportunity, Jasmine came up to her, put her hand on Sammy's shoulder and nodded in a passive-sort of way, and went to her boyfriend. _At least she doesn't_ seem _upset… I'll have to talk with her after._

Jasmine and Shawn spoke to each other, quiet enough that the girls couldn't hear. Jasmine bent down and kissed him on the lips, and Sammy had to keep herself from cooing again. With that done, Shawn nodded at the rest of them, and entered the cannon of his own accord without help from Chef.

"Any last words before you leave?" Chris asked, his remote at the ready.

"Just to keep an eye out for the undead," he told everyone. "And Sammy, Sky, sorry for falling on you both from the top of a tree."

Sammy and Sky both gawked. "Wait, what?"

With a sad smile, he ignored them and added, "And uh… good luck, you guys."

"Huh." Chris didn't look impressed. "I was expecting something with a bit more _flare_. Oh well." He dispassionately pressed his remote, and the cannon fired one of her closest friends off of the island and away from them all. "The cannon has all the _flare_ we need."

Shawn's scream was as high-pitched as she remembered, and when it finally faded from her ears the others were left in a mournful silence. Chris and Chef left after the episode closed out, and Amy and Scarlett were nowhere to be found, leaving just Sammy and her friends to stand around and look out over the horizon.

"Jasmine, I'm so sorry it came to this," Sammy said after a little while. "The last thing I wanted to do was vote out a friend, but…"

"Nah, don't even worry about it," she said to her. "We're this far into the game, we both knew that. We'd be mad to not try and get to the end the proper way, am I right?"

"Yeah… You're right."

"I hope he lands okay," Ella noted. "They… they _have_ to have some sort of net or something to catch the eliminated contestants, right?"

"I can't think of anything else that would," Sky told her. "Maybe a pool of water? Though that seems kind of farfetched."

"Everyone else took the same express flight off the island, so there _has_ to be something there to catch them," Sammy said. "Otherwise I doubt the legal team would allow something like a cannon."

A pause, and everyone burst out laughing. _Ha._ _Yeah, right._

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to hit the sack," Jasmine announced. "Again, I guess."

"You guys want to come to the tree house?" Sammy offered to her old teammates. The four of them began heading up the path. "The guys' room is completely free. Though, I guess the sheets haven't been washed…"

Sky let out a loud yawn and stretched. "Maybe tomorrow. I'm so tired I'm willing to sleep _anywhere_."

"I agree, tonight was tiresome," Ella said. "Maybe we'll bring our own sheets tomorrow. I have to admit though, the thought of an actual _bed_ sounds very tempting."

"Seriously, you'll be knocked out in _seconds_ when you lie down," Sammy said. "I have personal exp-"

She would've finished the thought, but a _massive_ gust of freezing cold wind came out of absolutely nowhere and slammed her in the face. It was loud, forceful, and nearly swept her off her feet. She and Ella both had to hold their skirts down to keep them from blowing up, and Jasmine put a death grip on her hat. Sammy could barely hear anything over the roar of the wind, and she was dangerously close to losing her balance after being blindsided by it.

And then, as quickly as it started, the wind vanished.

The force she was putting into leaning forward nearly carried her face-down into the ground, but she caught herself before anything bad happened. And that _bad_ thing would have been made extra worse on account of an incredibly sharp, jagged _spike_ bursting out of the ground right in front of her.

" _Holy crap!_ " she screamed, backpedalling away from the rock and bumping into Jasmine. "What's happening?! What was that wind?" Looking around, she saw that more spikes seemed to have sprouted up in various locations around them. "What's with the rocks? And the-" A whirlwind of dust seemed to appear at the edge of the forest and blew right past them and over the water. "The _tornado?!_ "

"That was too small to be a tornado," Jasmine hastily pointed out, "but I get where you're coming from!"

All of a sudden, the various trees in the forest - the same forest the group of them had walked countless times - were quite literally _sucked down_ into the ground, leaving nothing in their places but small, circular holes where they once stood. Almost immediately after, though, they were replaced by trees of a different type, though they were types she remembered seeing across the island.

But neither Sammy nor the other girls had any time to react to them, as it wasn't just the trees. Towering above the forest, the mountains and cliffs of the island were also shaking, and were quickly sinking downward in clouds of dirt and debris, only to be replaced seconds later by mountains and cliffs of different formations.

A storm cloud formed in no time at all above them, and started spewing lightning in all directions, though none of it seemed to reach the island. The strong winds returned, and this time were accompanied by chunks of hail that started pelting everyone all over, forcing screams out of them. The rumblings never ceased, and the shaking seemed to increase by the second.

"What's going on?!" Jasmine cried out. "Is it an earthquake?!"

"I think it's a hail storm!" Ella pointed out.

"More like a typhoon!" Sky shouted at them both.

Sammy did her best to look around, at the trees popping in and out of existence, at the mountains trembling dangerously above them, at the wind that refused to let up, at the lightning that threatened to strike upon them. She glanced out over the ocean, where aside from waves flowing out away from them, there didn't seem to be anything going on. It was almost like it was all…

… _L_ _ocalized_ around them _._

"Guys," she yelled over the wind. "I don't think it's any of that. I think… I think the island's _broken!_ "


	13. Holding Out for Some Heroes

The winds didn't let up for a second as the four girls pushed their way up the path and back to the elimination area. Little by little they kept pressing onward, making sure to hold their ground with each step. Being the smallest and lightest of them all, Sky had more than once almost been blown away by the wind, so Sammy and Ella held onto her arms as Jasmine stood behind them all to keep them from being thrown back.

Once they were off the incline and back on level ground, Sammy looked around and saw through squinted eyes that Chris, Amy and Scarlett were closer to the edge of the forest, animatedly yelling at each other while Chris messed with his favorite remote. "Over there!" Sammy yelled through the wind, and directed her friends towards the others.

Moving as quickly and carefully as they could, the girls kept pushing themselves forward against the force of the wind. But that effort turned against them when all of a sudden the wind _vanished_ and the four of them fell face-first into the dirt with startled screams.

"Oww," Sky groaned, bearing the weight of the three others. "I don't think that's how wind works."

"With everything going all screwy, I'm surprised it didn't start cutting in and out faster than that," Sammy noted.

"That's 'cuz it _didn't_ cut out," Jasmine said. "It's just isolated to the ceremony area!"

The rest of them looked back, and the telltale signs of high winds and hail were only affecting the cliffs where the ceremonies took place. Closer to the paths leading back onto the island, there wasn't even a _hint_ of wind. "Okay, that's just slightly unsettling," Ella quietly admitted.

The four of them stood up and approached Chris, with Sky leading them forward. "McLean!" she shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him. "What's going on? What's happening to the island?"

Chris barely acknowledged her as he continued to fiddle with his remote. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!" he said. "The island's fine!"

"He insists that, but anyone with _eyes_ can see the island is no longer in working order," Scarlett spat.

Chris was about to speak, but then the trees behind him then suddenly dipped down again and were replaced by brand new ones of a completely different type.

"Yeah, something's telling me Scarlett's on the money here," Jasmine snarled.

"What," he said hesitantly, but as innocently as he could. "You don't have vanishing trees in Australia?"

"No! Obviously not!"

The trees then disappeared again, only for _Christmas trees_ of all things to take over. Chris laughed nervously once more. "W-What about Christmas? It's winter down there now, isn't it?"

"Wh- Christmas day is the same as it is up here, you drongo!" Jasmine yelled at him.

Taken back by the insult, Chris glanced anxiously at the campers surrounding him, from Jasmine's fierce glare to Ella's unimpressed stare, and over to Scarlett and Amy who were looking at him in exasperation and annoyance respectively. After a few moments, Chris groaned, inhaled and exhaled, and looked at them all in frustration. "Okay. _Fine_. The island's mostly artificial."

Practically _no one_ gasped at that - the only one who did was Amy, but when she saw no one else doing the same she tried to play it off. "I _knew_ it," Sammy said, allowing a hint of smug satisfaction in her voice. "Definitely the worst kept secret here."

"Uh, maybe not the worst," Sky whispered to her, nudging her in the arm.

Sammy chose to ignore the blush flaring on her face. "A-Anyway! What's going on here? Why's everything going all crazy?"

"We're having some technical difficulties, okay?" Chris replied, going back to his remote. "Just some minor mishaps that shouldn't be cause for alarm!"

"'Minor mishaps'? _We_ almost got skewed by spikes shooting out of the ground!" Amy shouted at him, gesturing to herself and Scarlett.

"It's actually _skewered_ ," Scarlett corrected.

Amy let out a groan. "That's what I said!" To Chris, she continued, "So yes, it's _obviously_ a cause for alarm! When are you gonna get off your lazy butt and fix whatever's wrong?"

"I'd have it _done_ if you stopped yammering on!" Chris exclaimed, going back to messing with the remote. "But this stupid thing is being-"

He didn't get to finish the thought, as suddenly a large monitor burst from the ground between him and the girls. It had blaring sirens and a flashing red light on top of it, and a computerized voice was talking out of it.

" _Self-destruct sequence activated. Island will explode in one hour._ "

Needless to say, its words did _not_ inspire confidence.

" _Self-destruct?!_ " cried everyone in almost unison, with some of them adding in sprinkles of 'No way!' and ''You can't be serious!'.

Sammy, however, began to visibly shake the second her brain processed this new information. The words of the monitor bore into her skull like nothing else had ever done before. She couldn't think, she couldn't _breathe_. And when the timer started counting down with 59 minutes left on the screen, Sammy thought for sure she was about to have a full on panic attack.

 _Self-destruct? Self… destruct?! What the hell?! WHAT THE HELL?! I don't want to die! I'm nowhere_ close _to wanting to die!_

She was practically vibrating on the spot, and more than likely would have stayed that way, with everyone else too busy causing an uproar to notice. Had Chris's familiar air horn not drawn her back into reality, it would probably have gotten much worse. " _Zip it!_ " he shouted at them to get them to settle down. It helped, but only a little. His authoritative demeanor vanished once they did all calm down though, which did _not_ help. "Uhh… Right." Putting the air horn away, he scurried over to a tree stump that had just recently popped out of the ground, pressed in on its rings in a particular pattern, and reached into it when the top slid open like a secret compartment. Inside was a black unspecified tablet that he pressed his finger on a few times, before scuttling back over to the contestants. "Time for your next challenge!"

"A challenge? _Now_?" Jasmine asked him incredulously. "Mate, are you off your _rocker_?!"

" _Don't interrupt!_ " he shouted angrily, causing Jasmine to reel back in surprise. He cleared his throat and continued to speak in a shaky voice. "For this challenge… one of you will have to turn off the self-destruct, which is located in this underground control room." The tablet showed a high-tech room with multiple monitors, their screens filled not only with graphs but also shots of the forest, beaches, and the two shelters where everyone had been sleeping. "There are three ways to get there," Chris said, swiping on the tablet to now show a map of the island and three separate arrows pointing to three different locations. "So you'll split into three teams of two, and each go into one of these entrances. The first team to turn off the self-destruct wins immunity. Got it?"

All of a sudden Scarlett gasped, and grabbed the tablet out of his hands. "Wait! Let me see that!"

Chris, too startled by her outburst, let her have it. "Sure, whatever. If it'll help you shut it off, go ahead!"

It was all so much that her head could barely handle it. The island was literally going to _blow up_ and now they were responsible for turning it off? "W-Why does an island have a self-destruct setting to begin with?" she quietly asked Chris.

"What do we do when we find the control room?" Sky followed up.

"Why is there no remote shut down out here?" Ella asked, gesturing around her. "If you have a _tree stump_ that has a tablet in it, surely something like that should be here as well?"

"All good questions!" Chris said, beginning to walk away. "Too bad there's no time to answer them!"

"Wait, hold on!" Jasmine said, stopping him from going past her. "Our lives aren't _really_ in danger, are they? This is just a challenge, right?" He sucked in air through his teeth and looked away awkwardly. "R-Right?!"

"Yeah, I dunno how to put this nicely… so I won't. This island will _definitely_ blow up in…" He glanced at the screen. "57 minutes. If I were you, I'd start running."

"You're expecting _teenagers_ to disarm an entire island, though?" Sky asked. "What can we do to turn this thing off?!"

"You'll figure it out!" he said, pushing past Jasmine. "If you want to live, that is. Which I'm sure is something many of you want."

"What about you?" Sammy asked, feeling the sweat beginning to pile on her forehead. "Why does it have to be a challenge? Why can't you help us? Or someone else! Like Chef! He's tough!"

"Chef can't help, because he's busy flying the helicopter."

" _Helicopter?!_ " came another cry from everyone in unison. As if it was ready and waiting for its moment, a helicopter appeared in the sky and flew just over the seven of them. Sammy could barely make out Chef Hatchet in the pilot's seat, though she couldn't see him all that clearly.

An anchor crashed into the ground, and Chris casually climbed onto it. "And I _will_ be helping! From a safe distance. _Off_ of the island."

"Wait!" Ella screamed, holding her hands out. "If there's a helicopter, why can't we all just escape?!"

"Because without an island, there'll be no show!" Chris explained. "We've already lost _one_. There's not enough money in the budget to get a third one if this one goes kablooey!"

"That is the _single_ most pathetic excuse I've heard!" Sky shouted at him.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night!" Chris shouted back. He sounded out the air horn one last time. "Challenge starts now! So get to gettin'!"

With that, the helicopter rose back into the air and left their field of vision. Everyone stared after it, unable to process just _what_ had happened in the last five minutes.

" _T-minus 55 minutes and counting,_ " the monitor happily reminded everyone.

"I can't believe this is happening," Sammy murmured. "This is _nuts_. You can't go from hide and seek to _blowing up the island!_ This isn't right! This isn't _fair!_ "

"I'm sorry to have to say this, but it doesn't matter if it isn't fair, we don't have a choice!" Jasmine was in the right headspace, as always, and immediately began taking charge. "Scarlett, where are the entrances located?"

Scarlett flipped through the tablet a few times and held it up for everyone to see. "One is under a rock to the east of our location. One is in a hatch to the north, and seems to be located a fair distance above the ground. And the third is in an open hole to the southwest which doesn't seem to have closed properly. None of them seem to be particularly far away, and given everyone's base running capabilities I'd say it would take at least a collective ten to fifteen minutes to reach our designated goals."

"Alright, let's split into teams and dole out these secret entrances."

As her mind was racing and asking how they could both be so calm, Sammy suddenly felt a warm and comforting hand wrap itself in hers. "Sammy and I will take one," came Ella's voice on her left, and a squeeze helped to bring her back into reality. She looked at her, and received a nod and a confident smile in return. _Ella is so good at keeping me grounded and focused… God, now that I know what that feels like, I don't know what I'd do without her._

Sammy nodded back, and looked at the tablet once more. "We'll take… the hole. That shouldn't be too hard to find, if it's out in the open like that."

Scarlett flipped the tablet back around and examined it closely. "As has been said, the hatch to the north is not on ground level. I don't mean to choose for you," she looked up at Jasmine, "but you and Sky should tackle this one."

"What? Why?" Sky asked with folded arms. "Why can't _we_ find the rock?"

"Because Amy and I do not have the physical capabilities to climb up to the top if we want to make good time." She turned back to Amy. "Isn't that right?"

But Amy didn't reply. Sammy looked past the others at her sister, only to see that she hadn't moved from the spot she had been at before the announcement. She was staring at the countdown, rigid and unmoving, her mouth hung open slightly and her skin pale as a ghost. The only part of her that _was_ moving was her chest, rising and falling far faster than it should've been.

 _She's hyperventilating,_ her mind told her as her eyes widened. _She's panicking._

Sammy pulled her hand out of Ella's and approached her sister. Each and every breath she was taking was sharp and fast, and her eyes didn't leave the screen even as Sammy put her hand on her shoulder. "Amy?" she asked, shaking her slightly. "Amy, c'mon, snap out of it."

She shook her a little harder, and Amy blinked and looked her way. For a split second her old scowl came back in full force, but only for a second. It was swiftly replaced by the fear she had just been wearing. It was the most vulnerable Sammy had ever seen her sister be, and likely the most she had ever shown anyone. "I-I don't want to die," she said. It was nothing more than a hoarse whisper, and Sammy had a hard time recalling if she'd ever heard Amy talk like this before. There _was_ a good reason behind it, all things considered.

Sammy put both hands on Amy's shoulders and looked her square in the eyes. She may not like her sister all that much, but the last thing she would allow herself to do was to leave someone on their own when they were under emotional distress. "We're _not_ gonna die. We're gonna get to the control room and shut this thing down. But we _all_ need to do this, okay? None of us are going to take this sitting down, so you need to _calm_ down and get your head in the game." It probably would've came off better if Sammy herself wasn't internally losing it, but everyone needed to do their part in this challenge, and Amy was no exception.

Her breathing didn't exactly slow down, but after a moment she nodded. "O-Okay."

Sammy did her best to smile comfortingly at her. "Good. Scarlett will watch after you. You're going to be _fine_."

Amy nodded once more, though didn't say anything. With that done, Scarlett walked by them and off into the forest. "We shouldn't delay. Who knows what other tricks and traps Chris may have waiting for us."

"You don't think he would've left any, would he?" Ella asked.

"This is Chris we're talking about," Scarlett said, looking back, "and we're heading into a bunker that was meant to be a secret this entire time. I would _not_ put it past him to leave any sort of defensive systems on, even during a time like this. No, _especially_ at a time like this."

"Hmm…" Ella moaned. "You may be right."

"If we're done talking, then we need to be moving." Scarlett took off once more. "Come on, Amy!"

Amy looked after her, and then back at Sammy and the others. She tried sucking in a breath and puffing her chest out, almost like she was trying to appear brave. It didn't really work. "Uh…" Another pained expression appeared on her face, but instead of looking away and leaving as she had been doing these last few days, she actually spoke up this time. "G… Good luck."

And without another look back, Amy ran off after Scarlett.

"Huh," Sammy said after a moment. "That's a first." _Maybe… Amy really is trying to be a better person? She's having a_ lot _of trouble, it looks like…_

Still watching where her sister had left, she felt the hand retake its spot in hers. "Come on, let's go."

Brought back into reality, Sammy nodded at Ella. "Right." She turned back towards Sky and Jasmine. "You guys take care."

"Same to you," Jasmine replied, tipping her hat.

"Stay safe!" Sky told them. "Don't be afraid to run if things get messy."

"You as well," Ella said. "Though you'd both probably have a better time at that than us."

"Ah, well, I'm not gonna argue that," Jasmine said, and with that they took off up the trail leading to the Salmons' treehouse.

Ella glanced at her and smiled as best she could. "I guess that's our cue."

"Guess so," Sammy replied.

" _T-minus 50 minutes and counting_."

Sammy shivered as the mechanical voice spoke. "I'm not gonna get used to that. We need to hurry."

"Then let's be off," Ella said, and the two girls dashed off towards the Bears' shack.

* * *

"Is this the area on the map?" Sammy asked a few minutes later. They had been running through the forest long enough that they had reached an open area of grassland that looked rather identical to any other field on the island. "I'm pretty sure this is as southwest as we can go without hitting the island's edge."

"Something tells me we should've been given more than one tablet," Ella noted, squinting into the horizon. She had a hand above her eyes, despite there not being any rays of sun to block out. "The hole could be _anywhere_!"

Looking around on the ground proved fruitless, as there was just too much area to cover and too many slopes and obstructions to properly see everything. "We're too low down," Sammy said, and pointed to a tree that seemed to be in the middle of the field. "We need to get higher!"

The tree was a big one, thankfully, and its lowest branch was high enough that they'd be able to get a decent view of the area. That was also the one problem now presented to them - it was also _too_ high for either of them to reach easily on their own.

"How do we get up there?" Ella asked as they approached the base of it.

"Umm." There wasn't anything movable around them, no rocks or logs that could be moved with little effort and get them up there as fast as possible. So in this case, there was only one option. "Get up on my shoulders, I'll lift you up there."

Ella gave her a surprised look. "Are you sure? Is that safe?"

"Being on the island is the farthest thing from safe right now," Sammy told her. She positioned herself under the branch and bent down on one knee. "Now come on, we're losing time."

"O-Okay." Unsteadily, Ella placed her feet on Sammy's shoulders.

Ella wasn't heavy, but neither was Sammy particularly strong. She grabbed a hold of Ella's ankles and put in the effort to push herself back up to a standing position. "A-Are you able to reach?" she asked, doing her best to keep them both balanced and also to _not_ look upwards.

"Yes, I've got a hold of it!" Ella said excitedly. "I'll try to pull myself up!"

"Okay good!"

It wasn't a perfect climb - Ella accidentally used Sammy's head as a stepping stone, which she profusely apologized for - but she managed to get up there with time to spare. She carefully climbed to her feet and balanced herself against the tree, and resumed her search for the entrance.

"Anything?" Sammy asked after a moment.

"Mm, nothing that I can-" Ella stopped herself to gasp. "Wait, no, there's a hole in the ground over there!"

She pointed in a direction with a few slopes leading away from them, but Sammy couldn't see anything from her angle. She thanked her luck that higher ground was the right option. "Wow, that was fast! We'll be in the control room in no time!"

"No doubt about that," Ella agreed. "Just… one problem. How am I getting down?"

Sammy frowned. "Oh. I, uh, didn't think that far ahead. You might just have to jump."

Ella looked at the ground warily. "Um… Sorry, but I don't think that's going to happen."

"I guess it is a bit of a drop," Sammy said. Like before, there wasn't anything around that could be used as a cushion or to catch her. And as they were short on time, Sammy offered the first thing she could think of: herself. Again. "I'll catch you!" she yelled up, raising her arms out to demonstrate.

"What? Are you sure you can?" she asked. "Not to sound doubtful, but… I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"I know it's not, but we're running out of time and there's no other way down." She gestured with her hands. "C'mon. You trust me, right?"

"Of course I do," she said quickly. She looked around the tree and the surrounding area once more, just to confirm there wasn't any other way, and breathed in and out to steel herself. "Okay. Are you ready?"

"Always," Sammy told her.

She smiled radiantly. She bounced a bit on the branch, testing its rigidity. "I'll count to three, then I'll jump. One…" She dipped down once to psych herself up. "Tw- _AH!_ " And then her foot slipped the second time she did it.

" _Ella!_ " Sammy cried and attempted to position herself underneath her, but in the end it wasn't necessary. As she had demonstrated a few days ago, Ella's reflexes were far faster than Sammy gave her credit for - her arm shot out and grabbed a hold of the branch, and her grip was tight enough that she managed to stop herself from falling and hang there in a slow swing.

"Oh gosh," Ella said between gasps of breath. "Oh gosh oh gosh. My heart is pounding…"

"Are you okay?!" Sammy asked her. She found her own heart had sped up.

Ella grabbed the branch with her other hand as well, in order to reduce the strain. "I'm fine! I think!"

Sammy breathed a sigh of relief, wiping away lingering sweat from the run. "That was _way_ too close." It wasn't the _longest_ drop, but it still wouldn't have been pretty. "Are you able to get down now, or should I still help?"

She judged the height she was currently at, and shook her head. "I'm still not comfortable dropping down this high up. C-Can I ask for your help?"

"Absolutely!" Sammy got right underneath Ella and held her hands back up. "Okay, lift your legs up and fall into my arms! I'll catch you, trust me!" Before now, there'd probably be a part of her brain that was telling her that she would miss and hurt Ella, but now more than ever, the confidence that she could do it was overshadowing any doubts she had.

"Okay," Ella said. She raised her legs up so that she was nearly adjacent with the ground and stayed there. She was shaking, her arms clearly not used to holding her weight. "A-Are you ready?!"

"Ready! Go ahead and drop!" Sammy called out.

She did just that. Ella didn't scream as she fell, but she was tensed up and preparing for the worst. But thankfully, for both of their sakes, Sammy had her feet planted on the ground and was able to catch her out of the air before anything bad happened. The force of Ella landing in her arms nearly toppled Sammy over, but she held her ground and was able to remain upright.

"Huh," said Sammy, slightly stunned. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be."

Ella let out a loud laugh, relief in all of her features. "No, it wasn't at all!" She gave Sammy an incredibly grateful look. "Still, thank you all the same. It was scary at first, but worked out in the end."

"It was, and it did!" Sammy agreed. "But, uh, I'm gonna put you down now because you're a _little_ too heavy for me."

"Aw," Ella whimpered, giving Sammy the _cutest_ pout she had ever seen. "But I like being in your arms."

If _anything_ was going to turn Sammy into a stuttering mess, it was certainly that. Her mind struggled to register those words properly and to simultaneously come up with a response that didn't make her sound like a total meathead. "Wh- I- Oh my- Huh-" Needless to say it didn't work out all that well.

Ella laughed joyfully and set herself down on her feet. With the pout turning into a mischievous grin, she said, "Oh wow. You are _adorable_ when you blush. You know that?"

On the outside, she was frozen on the spot. But on the inside, all of her thoughts coalesced into one single, defining sound.

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-_

"Ella!" she suddenly said, surprising her partner and herself. "I-I have something to tell you!"

Her eyes lit up like beacons and her smile took up half of her face. "W-What is it?!" It was clear as day that she was expecting this. Sammy practically knew that as fact by now.

 _Don't screw this up don't screw this up don't screw this up-_ "Ella, the truth is, I-"

" _T-minus 40 minutes and counting._ "

"-forgot about the countdown! We, uh, we need to go!"

_NOOOOOOOOOO YOU IDIOT-_

That was apparently the last thing Ella had been expecting, and it completely threw her off. The lights in her eyes fizzled out and she ended up caving in on herself. "I… Oh. Okay."

All of Sammy's mind was berating her at messing up _again_ , but there literally was no time for it. At this moment, she'd rather spend as much time trying to stay alive so that she could confess to her another day.

 _God, if you told me_ this _was what I was going to be dealing with before joining the show, I would've thought you were_ nuts _._

Without another word, because if she spoke she couldn't guarantee she'd say anything good, Sammy grabbed a hold of Ella's hand and dashed off in the direction she had pointed in from the tree. They came upon the hole almost immediately - it was at an odd angle on the slope, and was not in a position where they would've been able to see it properly. The hole was fairly wide too, enough for both of them to jump in at the same time if they chose to do so.

They peered down in it, expecting to find the same sort of metal and secret laboratory-esque environment they'd seen on the tablet, but instead they were met with the very tip of a fir tree. "Not what I was expecting, but if this hole is where a tree pops up then it makes sense," Sammy said. "I think we're going to have to jump on it and make our way down."

Ella grimaced. "Oh yay. More tree climbing."

"I know it sucks, but we have to do it." Sammy looked up at her. "You know… that was actually a bit more sarcastic than what I'm used to from you."

Ella seemed to realize that as well, and smiled sheepishly at Sammy. "Oh, you're right. You must be rubbing off on me."

"Looks like it," Sammy said with a grin back.

There was another rumble, not as violent as the ones from before were, but it sounded _much_ closer to them than the others did. In fact, it sounded like it was coming from right below them.

"Um, the tree is shaking!" Ella pointed out.

 _That's probably not a good thing._ "Back up! _Back up!_ " Sammy shouted, and they got out of there as fast as they could. Just as they were out of harm's way, the tree burst from the ground, shooting up to its maximum height in seconds. Hundreds of pine needles drifted out and down from its branches, landing around it and coating the ground a darker green.

"Whew," Ella sighed in relief as she stared at the tree's tip. "That was a bit too close."

"Yeah, for real," Sammy said. She was watching the pine needles fall to the ground, and saw something that caught her eye: the tree wasn't a very wide one, and actually left a decent amount of room between it and the edge of hole. What was more, it was on a sort of platform that _did_ cover the gap between the two, and there was enough room for them to stand on if they hugged the tree's base. "Huh."

"What's up?" Ella asked her.

Sammy grinned up at her. "I think I found our way in."

* * *

As was the current case for most of the island's props, that tree in particular was also malfunctioning, and dropped back down into the ground a few moments later. The space between the trunk and the edge of the hole was just enough that both girls rode it down without any harm, though the speed it dropped at disoriented them heavily.

"Ugh," Sammy groaned, trying to settle her stomach and shake off the pine needles coating her. "Reminds me of those falling rides at amusement parks. I always _hated_ those."

Ella walked up to her from the other side of the tree, brushing herself down, and as she looked around their new surroundings, she gave her a half smile. "On the plus side, we're in the bunker now."

She was right. Gone was the sky, the lightning clouds looming overhead, the fresh air and the surrounding nature (if it could be called that anymore). Now the two of them were in an incredibly large room with walls made entirely of metal and steel, with screens and dials and buttons lining it from top to bottom. Several pipes and _huge_ gears were working nonstop as well, with steam being released every now and then and the sounds of grinding never ceasing. It gave off a very secret laboratory sort of feeling, which pretty much lined up with what Sammy had imagined it was going to be like.

In the direction she was facing was a wall with a door, leading perhaps towards other rooms like this one (there would have to be, if the entire island was able to have its trees and rocks and whatnot drop down into it). Behind her, however, the room expanded far, _far_ back into the distance, and several other mechanical props were on their own platforms, ready to be raised up at the push of a button. "This is… _incredible_ ," Sammy said in awe, overwhelmed by the sheer size of the room. "How much did it cost to even design an island like this? Or was it already here and they just bought it?"

"That's technical information that you're not going to learn, brah," came Chris's voice. Sammy whirled around to see another monitor drop down from the ceiling with the host's face on it. "Besides, you ladies have bigger things to worry about. While you were busy slacking off and climbing trees up top, Jasmine and Sky accidentally set off the security system in here. So now there's a whole lotta killer robot animals roaming around and ready to tear you to shreds if they find you."

"What?!" Ella screamed. "Killer _robot_ animals?!"

"Yep," Chris answered. "We had _real_ animals, but the animal rights people were all 'blah blah blah blah', so we switched to robot animals. Some ended up with faulty wiring and turned crazy violent, though, so we locked them down here."

"Why didn't you just get rid of them?" Sammy asked. "That should've been the first thing you thought of!"

"We thought we could use them in a future challenge! And we were right! Technically." Sammy glared at him and by extension the rest of the Total Drama team. Chris completely ignored it. "Whatever, the point is, the halls are dangerous. It'd be way safer sneaking through the gear chamber."

Sammy took another look behind them to size everything up. Reasonably, they _could_ make their way through there. But with the rising and falling of the platforms, the gears constantly turning, and the boiling hot steam bursting through the pipes, it wasn't a very appealing idea. "There's, uh, no safer way than _that_ , is there?" Sammy asked.

"Nope! Either that way or the halls. Besides, according to my feed, you're about to be one exit short."

"What?!" both girls screamed, just as the door in front of them slowly opened. The light must not have been on in the other room, as whatever was behind the door was cloaked in darkness. The lack of both visibility and noise from it startled Sammy enough that she grabbed a hold of Ella in fright, who had the same idea and held onto her herself. If there really _were_ killer robots on the other side, then it was likely going to be big and deadly looking, and Sammy did her best to prepare herself for anything.

'Anything' apparently did not involve adorable little tabby cats.

" _Awwww!_ " the girls cooed as soon as they realized what they were looking at. It stared at them with big eyes, and licked its front paw to wash its head. It was _the_ cutest thing Sammy had seen in days. _Not counting Ella._

"Can I take this one home with me?" Ella asked, completely transfixed on the feline.

"You could," Chris said, warily watching it even from the other side of the screen. "If you got fire insurance."

 _That_ snapped them out of their reverie. " _Fire_ insurance?" Sammy asked.

And that was when the cat decided to demonstrate. Its eyes suddenly glowed red, its mouth opened up much, _much_ wider than a normal cat's should have, and there seemed to be a few sparks spewing from it. The inside of its mouth also seemed like it was growing redder…

Sammy knew enough about robot movies to know what was coming next. "We need to go! Like, now!"

She grabbed a hold of Ella's arm and booked it out of there, just as a _giant_ burst of flame shot at where they had been standing, igniting the tree they had just hitched a ride on.

The girls' thought it was most appropriate to shriek for their lives and sprint as fast as their legs could carry them. Weaving around the almost randomly-placed platforms and artificial foliage, Sammy and Ella did their best to avoid anything that could cause them to slow down. A large misplaced wire required hopping over, a platform with a rock coming down nearly crushed them and forced them to stop, and a large gear blocked their way and made them run to the other side of the room.

A tree came down all of a sudden, startling them to a halt. What was odd about this one was that there was a bird's nest on one of the branches. Almost immediately the two eggs inside shook and hatched baby birds, chirping loudly at the girls. Sammy squinted at them and rubbed her chin. "Hey, aren't these the same birds Beardo saved during the Truth or Scare challenge?"

She would've examined further if the chicks didn't start _shooting eye lasers at her_.

" _Duck!_ " Ella yelled, pulling a screaming Sammy to the floor and crawling away from the tree.

"Uh, I don't think those are ducks!" Sammy called back, smiling lightly despite the lasers still firing.

"Seriously not the time!"

"Sorry!"

Once they were a safe enough distance from the tree, they took off at another run, dodging what they could and leaping over anything small enough. They apparently managed to outrun the cat, as there were no more fire blasts being shot in their direction, but Sammy kept running all the same as she wanted to get _out_ of this deathtrap labyrinth as soon as possible.

Another platform, the biggest one they had come across by far, lowered itself in front of them, sloshing water around them and soaking the girls from the waist down. Sammy was about to complain when she noticed how… _warm_ the water was.

"Holy crap," she said, gazing in shock at the structure before her. "This is our lake and waterfall!"

It was unmistakable, even down in this lifeless bunker. Everything from the trees to the bushes that had been nearby it were still there; even the _rainbow_ seemed to be nothing more than part of the prop, a sort of hologram that was flickering on and off. It really took away from the majesty of it all.

What was freaky about it was that the river connecting to it above ground was _not_ with it, and so the water still pouring from the waterfall had nowhere else to go except onto the floor and into nearby drains. _At least they thought_ that _far ahead._

"What in the-" Ella gasped, stepping uneasily in the water it was leaving behind. "But we're nowhere _near_ where the waterfall was up top! Are we?"

"No, I don't think so," Sammy replied. "But my guess is they can move these things wherever they want to."

"I suppose it wouldn't be impossible for them, no. That's probably why the confessional was always somewhere different, maybe."

The sound of a meow was heard, and Sammy turned back to see the cat had at some point caught up to them. It stared at the water from its perch on one of the large wires, looked back up at her with its unblinking stare, and started charging up its fire breath again. "Oh crap!" she shouted, and just _barely_ managed to pull Ella to the ground before they got incinerated.

Once the fire dissipated, Sammy and Ella hastily stood. "Run! Keep going!" Sammy said to her, and turned to leave. But the rumbling of the waterfall frightened them enough that they stopped moving and stared at it. It shook, the water pouring from it coming out sporadically and all over the place, and then all of a sudden it shot up to the ceiling. Both girls were already out of the way of the water, but whether it was coincidence or just sheer dumb luck, Sammy wouldn't know. The cat wasn't free of the falls, and with its mouth open as it charged up its next fire blast, the water poured straight into it and immediately caused it to start convulsing.

Sammy gasped and began backing up. Ella did the same, and both girls covered their head and ears as the robot cat exploded in a distorted yowl, sending mechanical bits and almost-lifelike fur all over the place.

Thankfully it wasn't a big blast, but it left Sammy's ears ringing. They uncovered their heads and looked around to make sure the coast was clear. The wire it was on was thick enough that it only got singed and not outright damaged. "You know, I'm not sure whether to feel sad for it or not," Ella mused, watching helplessly as some of its fur floated by on the water.

"I know what you mean," Sammy said, turning away from the robotic remains. "But I think I'm rather okay with it being deeeeee _eeeeead_ _Ella your headband is on fire!_ "

" _What?!_ " She ripped the smoking accessory off of her head and threw it into the water in one swift motion, and watched as the flame died and the headband became soaked. _Technically_ the flame on it was only small, but still it was only a matter of time before it got worse and could've burned her hair.

Ella stared at it longingly, and slowly the adrenaline left her body. "That was my favorite headband," she whispered. It started to drift lazily towards the drain, so she picked it back up and shook off the water as best she could. She examined the scorch marks, and grimaced when she saw the top of the right side of the bow with a large, scorched hole in it. "It was one of the few things I bought for myself, out of my own money. And now it's ruined."

Sammy felt her heart split in two, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry this happened."

Ella put her hand on Sammy's. "I am, too. I…" Whatever she was about to say, she didn't say it. She looked at the hand she just raised up - her left one, with her one remaining glove still on it, the vile blueberry stain still there from when she threw up. She held both that hand and her right one out, and looked between the glove and the headband several times.

"What is it?" Sammy asked, having no clue what was going through her head.

"I…" She then looked at her clothes, at her pink blouse and skirt and shoes, and then to the room around her with its metallic sheen and ceaselessly blinking lights. Once again at what was on and in her hands, and then over to Sammy, though what she was looking for Sammy wasn't sure.

"Is… everything…?" she trailed off.

Ella didn't hear her. With one final look back at her glove and headband, she frowned, nodded once, and said to herself, "Alright."

And with as much strength as she could muster launched the headband across the room.

"What are you-" Sammy started, but didn't get a chance to finish as Ella pulled off her one remaining glove and threw that aside as well. With the items gone, she let out a breath and stared at her bare hands. The only thing remaining was the sleeve from Sammy's uniform, but Ella seemed reluctant to touch that.

Then, her eyes lit up in recognition, and without thinking it over she started messing up her hair. It somehow had been well-kept, even under these trying circumstances, and remained looking like a princess's haircut despite all the hardship. But Ella's fingers coursed through it, took the tight curls out of it, and allowed it to flow a bit freer along her cheeks and ears.

Sammy had to admit, she kind of found it _really_ attractive.

Once she was done, she shook her head one last time, her hair swishing back and forth. "Remember how I said I was doing my best to stop losing myself in my hobbies?" Ella suddenly asked.

"Yeah?" Sammy replied slowly.

"I don't think stopping to act like one was enough. Dressing as a princess wasn't helping either." She clenched her fists in confidence and looked up. "I… think I'm in need of a wardrobe change when I get home."

Sammy watched as the glove, having landed on the platform of a rock, was sent straight back up to the surface. "Are you sure you're okay with this? There's no shame in not wanting to change _too_ much, you know?"

"This _is_ what I want though. It's too easy for me to slip into my old habits this way. It's like… looking and acting the part both was an excuse to keep doing it. So if I do or have _neither_ , then there'll be less of a chance of it happening. Right?"

Sammy slowly nodded. "I guess there would be, yeah."

"So as soon as I can, I'm changing up these clothes and getting a haircut. It's something I'm going to need, I'm sure." She ended the discussion there, and started off for the other side of the large room. "But that's a discussion for later. Come one, the island won't shut itself-"

The floor suddenly opened up beneath her and plunging her into darkness.

" _ELLA!_ " Sammy screamed, attempting to reach after her but just barely missing her hand. " _NO!_ " The last thing she saw was Ella's scared face looking up at her, before she was lost to the shadows.

The sounds of loud clanging and Ella's yelps and screams reverberated out of the hole. Looking around helplessly, Sammy decided the only thing she could do was go down after her. Even though she was unsure of how far it went, that wasn't going to stop her from trying to save her. Without any hesitation Sammy leapt in after her.

Whatever sort of tube she had jumped into reminded her a bit too much of both skydiving and the giant orb at once. She couldn't see where she was going and she bumped into the sides of the tube countless times, and the dread of freefalling never left her stomach. Sliding down the tube whenever it was lightly curved left or right only managed to help slow her descent a fraction, and she was still falling way too fast; wherever she ended up, she was probably going to get hurt.

But Ella was still ahead of her, falling just as fast and into the unknown, and it didn't take a genius to know that Sammy was going to go after her immediately.

It took far less time than she was anticipating, but she soon saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

And she unceremoniously crashed into the ground with a thud and a yelp.

" _Ow…_ " she groaned when her mind caught up with her body. She attempted to push herself up, and was quickly greeted by two sets of arms helping her do so. Ella was on her right, looking disheveled but otherwise okay. On her left, Sky was looking concerned and also dripping with water. "Hey guys," Sammy said to her and Jasmine, who stood alongside them. "Just thought I'd drop by."

Ella lightly smacked her upside the head. "There's a time and a place for that, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Sammy replied, straightening out her clothes. "I think it's a coping mechanism, or something. Never noticed it before now."

"I'm just glad you guys are okay," Sky said, looking Sammy up and down. "You guys _are_ okay, right? Nothing broken or twisted?"

"Not that I can tell," Ella replied, testing out her joints. "Just sore all over is all."

"That's better than the alternative," Jasmine said. "And also better than getting mauled by killer animals. I've never tango'd with a _robot_ crocodile before, and lemme tell you it's not something you'd want to ever have to experience."

"We got chased by a robot kitten," Sammy said, grimacing at the memory.

"A robot _kitten_? That… doesn't sound so bad," Sky replied.

"Yeah, but it shot fire out of its mouth."

"Oh. Then I retract my statement."

" _Guys!_ "

Everyone jumped and looked around to find out where the static-y voice was coming from, but they didn't have to look far as a monitor came down from the ceiling and switched on. "I'm so glad I found you!" came Scarlett's voice from it. Oddly, her image wasn't shown, but rather lines that reacted to her talking. "I'm in the control room, but you can't shut down the self-destruct from here! Chris was _lying_!"

"Feh," Jasmine scoffed. "That figures."

"Typical," Sky groaned.

"We really should've seen that coming," Ella said with a sigh.

"Guys, listen," Scarlett said, drawing their attention back to her. "You can only shut it down _here_." She showed them a map of the floor they were on, and a dotted line starting at one point went down the hallways to a room and ended in an X.

"Is that where we are?" Sky asked, pointing at where the line began. "Then that's not too far from us!"

"Good job, Scarlett!" Jasmine congratulated, and took off down the hall with Sky in tow, turning a corner not too far away.

Ella started after them, but stopped when she noticed Sammy hadn't budged from her spot. "What is it?" she asked after turning back.

Sammy looked between where the screen had been, and her friend. _I don't trust Scarlett, that much is obvious. But… even she wouldn't try and mess with us during something like_ this _, right? …Yeah, I'm just being paranoid again._ "Nothing," Sammy told her, and ran off after the other girls.

One right turn, one left turn, and one door straight at the end of the hall was all it took. Jasmine and Sky were banging on the door, which for some reason hadn't opened when they approached it. "Scarlett, give us a hand, would ya?"

"Just give me a second…" Scarlett said over the intercom. The moment Sammy and Ella approached the other two, the door flew right open. "There! Go on in!"

Without another word the four entered the room, but stopped dead just past the entrance. If there was a word that could describe ominous, disturbing, self-centered and pathetic all mixed into one, it would be able to describe the room they now found themselves in. In front of them were several clones of Chris McLean, all hooked up to individual helmets that connected to other machines, with wires haphazardly hanging between all of them. There were _at least_ 20 of them, and they all had the same plastic smile on as the real Chris did. Whereas the real Chris's smile was annoying, now it was straight up terrifying.

"This is a new level of creepy," Sky said quietly, warily looking at the Chrises.

"This is the room, right, Scarlett?" Ella asked sceptically. "The button to turn off the self-destruct is in here, right?"

"Oh," Scarlett's voice came on again, and something in the tone of her voice caused Sammy to freeze. "Did I say that?"

Sammy gasped loudly as the door behind her slammed closed and trapped them inside. _Oh god! I knew it! Dammit, why didn't I trust my gut?!_

"Sorry, but the only things you'll find in here are _your deaths!_ " Her voice had grown louder, more maniacal. Even based on that sentence alone, Sammy was able to pick out just how _cruel_ it sounded.

The other three shouted and screamed in protest, Jasmine cursing Scarlett out, Sky pounding on the door, and Ella pleading for her to open it. Sammy could only watch, frozen, as the Chris clones in front of them slowly, agonizingly slowly came to life. Their eyes turned red, their demonic grins widened, and they dropped down from the ceiling like predators hunting prey.

" _TOTAL… DRAMA…_ _TOTAL… DRAMA…_ " they repeated endlessly, approaching the girls at a tortuously slow pace, their arms outstretched in front of them. Just like the real Chris, these ones seemed to love drawing out the tension.

"It's like an army of _zombies_!" Jasmine pointed out.

"You're right… Too bad we just got rid of Shawn," Sky lamented. "He'd probably be able to kick all of their butts!"

"But he's not here!" Ella replied, clinging to Sammy in fear and tears. "And we _are_! And we're going to die!"

Sammy held her tightly, her eyes fixed on the multitude of (what were now obviously highly realistic) robots. They weren't walking very fast, but that probably made things _worse_. It just meant that their deaths would be long and drawn out.

And now there was nothing that they could do. Scarlett sealed the entrance shut, there weren't any noticeable escape hatches to get through, and even if there were they'd have to climb over _dozens_ of killer robots to get to it. This… this was it. This was how she died.

 _And of course, today had to be absolute_ crap _on top of it._

Having a highly-vivid nightmare, being forced to eat outdated meat, and voting off one of her friends had been bad enough. But then the island threatening to that blow up and being ripped apart by robots _before_ that happened was just adding insult to injury. She was surprised that at this point, she hadn't given up entirely. Honestly, under normal circumstances, she probably would have. But these weren't normal circumstances. There was one singular reason why Sammy hadn't thrown in the towel yet:

_Her._

Sammy glanced at Ella, quivering in fear with her eyes shut tight at what was about to happen. Then she looked back at the robots, their beady eyes and wicked grins unnaturally stuck on their faces.

_This day sucks. It's sucked from the moment I woke up all the way to now. And it's about to get so much worse…_

… _But that doesn't mean I can't try and salvage one good thing out of it._

"Ella."

She looked up at her. "W-What?"

Sammy's breathing picked up again and she tried to calm herself. Ironic that it was _this_ that was causing her to get butterflies, and not the imminent death in front of her. "I-I don't want to die without getting another chance to say this."

Ella didn't say anything as Sammy took her hands in hers. Her hands were soft and her fingertips were calloused and were just as welcoming as always. The danger around them seemed to simply fade away, with nothing in their mind or their senses other than each other. Staring into Ella's beautiful, deep brown eyes, Sammy finally, miraculously, spectacularly said what she'd been meaning to say all night.

"Ella, I love you."

Ella gasped sharply, her wide eyes growing wider and shining even brighter.

Then Sammy continued, and she immediately wished she really hadn't. "I-I mean, I don't actually know if it's _love_ but I know I really, _really_ like you. And these feelings are real, honestly, they've been real ever since that day with the bear and the monkey and I didn't know what to _do_ with myself, I don't- I don't even know if you really like me back so I'm probably just making myself look like a fool, like always, like, haha, Sammy's so silly, so uh, I'm just going to shut up-"

She was interrupted again.

Not by words from someone else's lips.

But by someone else's lips pressing against her own.

Sammy had heard second-hand that first kisses were meant to be magical. Fireworks lighting up in the mind, being unable to focus on anything else, that sort of stuff. Sammy had always been hopeful that her first kiss would be just as incredible as what she had heard.

Needless to say, _it was._

She also wasn't entirely sure _how_ to kiss, so she left it chaste and tame, out of fear that anything different would be weird. After what felt like simultaneously forever and not nearly long enough, Ella pulled away from her.

Her eyes were glistening and her grin was as big and bright as the sun. And while it was true that her dress was dirty and stained and she didn't exactly smell the best (none of them did), Sammy couldn't think of anyone more beautiful than her.

Ella let out a shaky, relieved, and almost euphoric sigh, and she followed up with one single, meaningful word.

" _Finally._ "

Sammy let out a giddy, exasperated laugh, though the exasperated part was directed mostly at herself. _It's just like everyone said. Ella_ does _like me back, and I was probably the only one who didn't notice it. God, I'm so stupid. But I'm glad I actually worked up the courage to say it!_

"Hey, that's great you guys are happy," Jasmine suddenly said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "But we're still about to die here."

The Chrises were still coming and had made much more ground than Sammy had realized. "Oh, right, I forgot about them."

Ella wrapped her in a hug, though it was one of both affection and fear. "I-I guess this really is it, huh?"

"I guess so," Sammy murmured. Her cheek was pressed against Ella's, and they held each other as tightly as they could. "Sorry it took me so long to say that. I spent a bit too much time trying to figure things out, I guess."

"It's okay, I forgive you," Ella said. "I admit I was doing the same. I'm just upset that I won't be able to sing for you now…"

"Aw, yeah, I would've liked to hear you one last time," Sammy said, the disappointment washing over her. "You have such an amaz-"

All of a sudden, Ella gasped sharply once more. " _SING!_ "

"Uhh, what?" Sammy asked, surprised at the outburst.

The songbird broke away from Sammy and quickly stepped up towards the robots without a trace of fear. Sammy was about to reach out for her to bring her back, but before she could Ella took in a deep breath, steeled herself, and started.

" _If you told me that I'd be a part of this show,_

_I'd give you a look and say, 'How would you know?'_

_But now I am here, and I can easily say,_

_I wouldn't want this any other way._

_The future is scary, the past is just the same,_

_Two separate pictures, trapped within a frame,_

_But now that I've met you, these things will start to change,_

_And the feelings I have, they're really not that strange._

_So please, Robo Chrises, spare us your hate,_

_We'd rather our lives not be left up to fate,_

_And since there's someone special with me tonight,_

_I'd love to take the time to bask in her light!_ "

Sammy wasn't sure when her mouth had fallen open in awe, and she quickly pulled it back up before she started unattractively drooling. The song was light, a hopeful song with a dash of desperation, which was understandable. But just like every other time Ella sang she did it with such _passion_ and _love_ for it.

In the midst of it all, though, the robot Chrises had suddenly _stopped_ walking towards them. They looked upon her in surprise, their wide eyes showing their captivated interest in her song. The whole room was silent, save for the bleeps and bloops coming from the walls, but then the silence was broken by, surprisingly, the robots.

"That was _rad_ , dude!" said one of them, followed by another, and another, until they were all saying it on repeat, and clapping for her as an audience would. "That was _rad_ , dude!"

Even from behind, it was easy to tell that Ella was incredibly flustered. To have the things that were about to kill you suddenly congratulating _had_ to be jarring. Looking between all of them in shock and unsure what to do, Ella simply decided to bow to them. "Um… Th-Thank you very much! Now… uh. Shut down! Power off! Or something."

Without warning, each one of their hands shot out to their sides, none of them caring if they hit each other in the process, and in unison they said, "Tune in next time for more mayhem on Total… Drama… Paaaaaahkitew Island!" And just like that, they went limp and fell to the floor, their eyes closed and practically no life left in them.

Dead silence continued to reign over them, and no one had any idea what to say. "Ho…ly… _crap_ ," Sky said slowly, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head.

"Blimey," Jasmine was likewise stunned, a hand up to her hat like it was threatening to be blown off. "Ella, mate, that was _incredible!_ How the hell did you know that'd work?!"

Ella turned back around and sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "Oh, um… Truth be told, I didn't."

"You took a gamble with it?" Jasmine grinned and offered a hand for a high-five, which was immediately accepted. "You got balls, lemme tell you!"

"Um. Thanks? I think." Then she turned to Sammy, and her grin returned in full. "So? How'd you like it?"

Sammy was unable to keep her excitement down any longer. She squealed in delight and tackled Ella in an embrace and, feeling her own courage spiking through the roof, kissed her cheek multiple times. "OMG! Ella! That was so _awesome!_ You rocked it!"

"Aww, thank you!" Ella said, accepting the shower of kisses with grace.

"I'm still not exactly sure how that worked though," Sky said, walking up to the robots and kicking one of them, to which it didn't reply.

"Oh, I just had a thought earlier," Ella said to her. "See, my singing was affecting the animals on the island, right? But it was _only_ the animals island. Back at home, they didn't really seem to care for my voice all that much. So when Chris told us earlier that all of the animals were _robots_ …"

"You thought it would work on _these_ robots, too?" Sky asked, surprised. "That's… actually a pretty good leap of logic. Can't say I would've thought about it."

"If everything here has the same innards, then it was no wonder it worked," Jasmine noted.

"You know… You _literally_ saved our lives there," Sammy said to her in awe. "You're like… an actual _hero_ now, you know?"

Ella's jaw dropped open as she realized that, and she couldn't help but burst out laughing at the thought. "I guess I am now!"

A _bang_ sounded throughout the room, startling the girls and causing them to turn towards the door. A second one, then a third rang out, and everyone was ready to make a mad dash away from whatever was on the other side.

Then the door was blown right off, slamming into the floor. And what came through was unlike any other robot Sammy had seen. It was huge and oddly shaped, nearly reaching the top of the door frame. It stared down at them with angry red eyes and razor sharp teeth. Claws were at the ends of its elongated arms, and though its legs were nothing more than stubby little wheels, it managed to scare her like nothing else had before. Something about it was just so _menacing_ and _intimidating_ and…

…Familiar?

Ella stepped up once more, unafraid and ready to calm it down, as the three other girls backed up as much as they could without tripping over any of the Chrises. Its glowing eyes bore into her, sizing her up as if trying to figure out which part of her to eat first…

But then the furrowed brows shot up, and the mouth full of teeth slammed shut.

And then the robot let out a happy groan and fell onto its back.

Staring in shock, the four of them glanced at one another, not sure how to react, until suddenly Ella gasped and ran up to the robot. "Scuba Bear?!" she cried out, and dropped to her knees to give him some more belly rubs. "Aww, I missed you, you silly ol' teddy bear!" It growled in joy and waved its arms and stubby legs around happily, and absolutely did _not_ look like it was going to attack Ella.

" _That's_ Scuba Bear?!" Sammy asked loudly, staring at it in shock. She groaned and threw her hands up in the air. "Great! As if my nightmares weren't scary enough already!"

Sky groaned and thoroughly rubbed her eyes. "This is all starting to get to be too much for me," she said wearily.

"You can say that again," Jasmine said. She then pointed to the door. "But now we got our ticket out of here! We need to go and stop Scarlett!"

Ella instructed Scuba Bear to start hibernating, which it promptly did, and the four were just about to head for the door when a face poked itself out from the side of it.

" _Amy?!_ " Sammy shouted, and dashed up to her sister. "Are you okay?! What are you doing here?! What happened with Scarlett?!"

Amy, taking a moment to stare uncomfortably at the room full of unconscious Chrises, dismissed it with a shake of her head and looked back at her twin. "I-I'm fine, I think. That stupid robot had me cornered here against the door, but then it calmed down a bit when it heard _her_ singing." She pointed past Sammy and towards Ella. "Then it started going for the door, and I just sorta, stood to the side and let it go to town."

Sammy let out a breath of relief. In all honesty, the events of the last half an hour were so chaotic that she kind of forgot about Amy entirely. "I'm just glad you're alright."

Amy blinked at her in mild surprise. "Oh. Uh. Thanks."

" _T-minus 20 minutes and counting_ ," came the robotic voice, prompting everyone to look up to the ceiling.

"We're running out of time," Jasmine said, walking up to the two of them. "Amy, take us to where the control room is, stat!"

Amy looked like she wanted to argue against the command, because that's just how she was, but just as quickly seemed to change her mind and nodded. "It's not too far away," she said. She urged everyone to follow and they all took off down the hall.

"So what happened?" Sammy asked as they turned the corner. "With Scarlett? She's gone kinda…"

"Nutso?" Amy finished for her.

Sammy frowned. "Well, I wasn't gonna say _that_ , but pretty much."

"We found the control room almost right away," Amy explained. "The entrance under the rock led us right to it. We tried to get in, but there was this electric number pad thing that shocked you every time you put in a wrong password. Scarlett pried it open and managed to do… I dunno, _some_ sort of science stuff with it and opened the door after messing with the wires. _Then_ she takes off her glasses and lets her hair down, or _up_ or _something_ and then goes all sociopathic and gets that stupid bear to attack me! Like, seriously out to hurt me! It- It-" She let out a ragged breath, and it was only then that Sammy noticed how vulnerable and defenseless she still looked. "I thought it was gonna kill me. I was… so terrified…"

She really must have been, if she was willing to admit to it. "I'm sorry," Sammy told her. "I told you Scarlett would watch over you, but I guess she did the opposite…"

Normally Amy would have chewed her out for that, but not this time. "It's fine. Not like she made it obvious she'd be willing to off us."

It only took a few minutes to arrive at the control room door, tucked away at the end of another hallway and with even more buttons and gauges and dials lining the walls. The keypad was off its hinges just as Amy said, but the door wasn't budging no matter how many times Sky banged on it.

"Scarlett!" she cried, the fear evident in her voice. "Open up, please! Can't we just talk this out?"

" _Attention, vermin!_ "

Sammy tensed and looked up at the giant screen at the back of the room. Scarlett appeared, looking like an entirely different person. Gone were the glasses and the bun; her hair was sticking out at almost every angle, and she was sporting a grin that could give cartoon villains a run for their money. If there were any doubts remaining that Scarlett could be reasoned with, the look she was giving them all - like she was looking at bugs on the bottom of her shoe - did away with them entirely.

"Either Chris gives me the million, or _everyone_ gets eliminated!" she said menacingly. " _Permanently!_ "

"You can't do this!" Ella screamed at her.

"Don't you care that you're basically _murdering_ us?!" Jasmine asked her. "That's just sick and wrong!"

"If I truly cared, I would've shut off the island ages ago!" Scarlett countered. "So don't bother preaching to me about morality! Especially since you only have…"

" _T-minus 15 minutes and counting._ "

"...not very much time left, it seems!" Scarlett cackled, and everyone gasped in panic. "I'd say it was nice knowing you all… but we all know _that_ isn't true!"

The monitor switched off at that point, leaving the five of them in silence. Sammy and Ella shared a look, one where no words needed to be exchanged - this was the endgame. If they didn't do something now, they were as good as goners. Chris was _definitely_ not going to help, having seemingly disappeared, and Sammy didn't even consider him likely to try anything anyway. They were on their own, and they needed to act _now_.

The only problem was that one of them wasn't in any condition to help.

"This is it," Amy said, shaking her head in disbelief at the blank screen. "We're going to die. We're going to die and we can't do anything to stop it." Her rapid and haggard breathing returned, and she clutched at the sides of her head in terror. "We- We're going to die! I don't want to die! _I don't want to die!_ "

"Amy! _Amy!_ Calm down!" Sammy shook her sister, but her urging fell on deaf ears.

"I can't die, not yet! I'm only 16! There's stuff I haven't done yet! I have to get out of here! I have to- I have to…" Her voice trailed off as she finally noticed Sammy's presence, and she stared at her sister with wide, frightened eyes. "I… I…" She placed her own hands on Sammy's shoulders. "I need to talk with you." And as if that wasn't enough, Amy said something she'd likely never said before. " _Please._ "

_This isn't a joke. This isn't some sort of trick she's trying to pull on me. Amy is scared, she needs help, and she's looking to me for it. Now that Scarlett's turned on us, I'm probably the only person she feels even remotely connected to… and I don't know how to feel about that._

Sammy frowned, and turned back to the others. Without even waiting to consult one another, Ella nodded at her. "Go ahead," she said. "We'll figure something out."

"Okay, thanks," Sammy replied. To Amy, she said, "Alright, let's talk."

Amy didn't say anything, and almost automatically followed her when Sammy directed her to the wall. The two of them slid down against it, being careful not to disturb any of the pipes or buttons on it, and sat in silence for a moment. Sammy noticed that Amy was trying to start, but seemed to be unsure _where_ to start.

"If you're going to talk, you should do it soon," Sammy said. "We have about… 14 minutes left."

"I know!" she nearly shouted, though clammed up when the others looked their way. "I know," she said more quietly. She rubbed her hands over her eyes and looked like she was on the verge of tears. "So, uh…"

"Go on."

"You know… _God_ this is gonna sound stupid, but you know how in TV shows if a character is about to die, they'll say something crazy like, their life flashed before their eyes?"

"Uh… Yeah…?"

Amy huffed. "Yeah, well, I think maybe that happened to me? When I was cornered by that robot bear?"

"…Oh."

"And, uh…" She was practically forcing the words out of her mouth by this point, like a part of her was desperately trying to keep them in. "I kinda… realized that I'm sort of… maybe… not all that nice to you?"

Sammy, unwilling to say anything snarky lest she ruin the moment, but also realizing just how much of an understatement that was, simply gave Amy a _look_.

Her sister saw it, and groaned into her hands. "Okay, fine! I've been a complete and utter _bitch_ to you for all of our lives! You happy now?!"

 _Am I happy? I don't actually know._ She supposed she was glad Amy finally admitted it, but it was a rather late realization. Besides, admitting to it and stopping it altogether were two separate things. An abuser can know they're an abuser and still refuse to change their ways. "I don't know," she answered her. "I wish you figured that out earlier, though. Better late than never." Something about Amy's expression told Sammy she wasn't expecting that answer, and not in a good way, but she didn't say anything about it. "But if you really are aware of it… can you at least tell me _why_ you're such a bitch to me? And none of that 'because you were born' crap either, that's _not_ an answer."

Amy frowned and ran her fingers through her hair. It was greasy and unwashed and wasn't exactly flattering, something Amy likely knew very well. Quietly, she said, "It _is_ an answer though…"

Sammy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "If you're not going to be serious about this, then I'm just going to help the others-"

"Shut up a second and let me finish," Amy snapped at her, then immediately winced. "Uh… shit. Sorry."

Sammy rolled her eyes at the outburst. "Alright," she said, gesturing towards Amy. "Finish."

Amy let out a shaky breath, paused for a moment, and asked a single question.

"What do you… remember about Dad?"

Sammy's mouth opened and her eyes widened in surprise.

 _That_ was entirely out of left field. She hadn't seriously thought about her father in _years_. It didn't help that neither Amy nor Mom talked about him much, but Sammy never really had a reason to think about him. What could he have to do with the way Amy all this time? "I… remember he left when we were like… what, four? Five? He left without even getting a divorce with Mom, if I recall correctly. Just walked out one day without any warning. A note on the fridge, and that was it."

"Yeah." Amy nodded and sighed. "Do you know the reason why?"

Sammy slowly shook her head. "I… can't say I do. It wasn't something I thought about asking. I don't really remember much of Dad so it never exactly bothered me."

Amy scoffed. "Well, I did ask about it, once. And Mom was pretty open about the answer."

Sammy wasn't sure if she liked where this was going. "And… what was the answer?"

Amy, frowning in both irritation and sorrow, looked her square in the eye.

"Because Mom and Dad weren't expecting twins."

The words sunk in, and slowly the meaning behind those words dawned on her. "Wait," she said, her mind desperately trying to play catch-up. "W-Wait, wait wait… You mean…"

"Yup," Amy confirmed the unasked question. "He left _literally because_ you were born."

Time almost seemed to halt for her. "But… No, no, that can't be true," she said. "He loved us. I remember him saying so himself!"

"Maybe he did. But love doesn't put food on the table. Doesn't put money in the bank."

It took a little while for her to wrap her head around it - she was the one responsible for their father leaving? Because she was another mouth to feed? It just seemed so unbelievable… Sammy remembered plainly they had little money back then - she and Amy would share the few toys they had, before Amy decided to steal them and hide them all away, but she never realized that it was seriously hurting their parents. It just wasn't something she thought of back then, especially now since Mom had a good job as a lawyer and they were no longer hurting for money. The loan she got from her own parents also helped contributed to that.

There was part of her that believed Amy's words, while also a part of her that was calling BS. But even if it weren't true, there wasn't enough time left for her to deny it. Amy was talking, _finally_ , and Sammy wanted to keep it that way. _If it's not true, I'll just play along for now. And if it is… well, I'll deal with that when we're out of this situation. Or,_ if _we get out._ "Okay, so, I'm the one who drove Dad away then," she said to Amy after a few moments. "But what does that have to do with you _hating_ me?"

Amy took a moment to compose herself, like she was getting her thoughts in order. She rubbed at her eyes to keep the tears at bay. "Dad left when we were four. I asked Mom why he left after our fifth birthday. She said it was because it was hard to take care of four people in the house. She made it easy for a kid to understand, but… I dunno. I missed Dad. I wanted him back. We hadn't spoken to him for _months_ by that point. Still haven't heard from him to this day, really. And when I thought about how living was doable with _three_ people, I… started to resent you."

Sammy remained silent as she listened.

"I started… getting mad at you after that. Picking on you, hiding our toys or, or even breaking them, so that you didn't get to play with them. I guess you already know that, though…"

"Yeah, kinda," Sammy muttered.

Amy didn't hear her. "And, I kept at it for years, and it sort of… became my normal. I'd wake up and casually think about the ways I'd torment you, even years later. Somewhere along the way I started believing I was the better twin, because you were the one who made Dad leave so obviously that meant you were worse than me. But then…" She sighed. "Then I noticed our grades, and how yours were better than mine, so I did everything I could to stop that. But because I felt like I had… I dunno, control or power over you, I… I made you do mine. I made you use your money to buy me things. I…" She let out a shaky breath. "I did so many awful things. All because I didn't want to see you happy."

Sammy's mind was far away as she took everything in.

"And I… I suppose how I treated you ended up being how I treated other people. I couldn't keep friends longer than a few weeks at most. And I didn't want you to be able to beat me in _anything_ , so I drove off any friends _you_ were about to make."

Sammy's fists clenched in anger, but she held her tongue.

"As time went on it just… became so much easier to bully you. And every time it happened I felt so _powerful_ and… and strong. But then one day I just sort of… randomly had this thought. And I was reminded that I _knew_ you were always the better one of us. It pissed me off so much that I started doing worse and worse things to you. Making you shave your head, getting that one guy, I forget his name, to send you that stupid poem, throwing your assignments into the fireplace to tank your grades… I did everything I could to drive the feelings of helplessness away. I _hated_ feeling weak, so the only thing I could do was make myself feel strong…

"Then we joined this _stupid_ game, and everything went back to hell. We got split up, so I couldn't keep track of you. I thought it'd be fine if I kept at it during the challenges, but apparently it wasn't enough, since you somehow managed to get _everyone_ on your team to be on your side. Even someone on _my_ team was standing up for you, which just made everything worse! I tried to get everyone to back me up, but… no one bothered to listen to me. And it just made me feel so… pathetic."

Sammy had no clue she made her sister feel that way. A small part in the back of her brain was jumping for joy, but the larger part of it was feeling guilty, as ridiculous as that sounded.

"Then we started losing, which only hurt more. You called me out on having no friends, which I _knew_ was true but couldn't admit to it. I tried asking Topher out, and he was cool with it at first, but it didn't feel right and I… I couldn't bring myself to take pride in it and rub it in your face. Then _he_ called me out on it and broke up with me, then ignored my very existence. Then I thought I found a friend in Scarlett, and look how _that_ frickin' turned out. And now we're here, about to die because the host of this show is too much of a narcissist to save our lives and I'm only realizing that my life is just as… as hollow as I feel about myself."

She sighed heavily, licked her dry lips, and put her head against the wall. "So there. You asked why I hate you? Because you made Dad leave, and everything went spiraling out of control after that."

Silence. Nothing but dead silence between them. Sammy was trying hard to process everything her sister just laid out for her, but there was just so much… "Your hatred for me is… irrational. You know that right?"

"Yeah," Amy answered sharply. "I'm not stupid."

Sammy chose not to comment on that. "So you blame me for Dad leaving. I know where you're coming from, but it's _not_ my fault I was born. That really can't be pinned on me."

"Samey, I was _five_ when I started thinking that. Not everything made sense back then."

"And what about now?"

"Now? Now I know you didn't choose to make Dad leave, obviously. But… by the time I realized that it was too late, and I couldn't make myself understand it. I couldn't change the way I thought. I _still_ can't. Even right now, I feel sick to my stomach telling you all this, even though I've been wanting to do this for _days_." She huffed. "But every time I tried I always ended up falling back on my old habits. It sucks."

"Isn't the fact that you _are_ telling me all of this because you are able and willing to change, even just a little bit?"

Amy had no answer to that.

"Let me ask you something," Sammy said. "Now that you've told me this, are you going to keep it up? If we get out of this mess and we're able to keep living, are you going to keep picking on me and making my life miserable?"

Amy still had no answer.

Sammy groaned lightly. "A different question, then. Do you _want_ to go back to the way things were?"

More silence, but only for a short while. With a slow shake of her head, Amy said, "No. I don't think I want to."

"Well… there you go," Sammy said. "If you have the desire to change, you _can_."

Amy looked at her doubtfully. "It can't be that easy."

"I won't lie, it isn't. But if you keep at it for long enough, before you know it you'll start to become a better person without realizing it."

She thought those words over, and nodded. "Okay. I'll stop." Awkwardly rubbing her arms, she said quietly, "Um… Sorry. About everything."

Sammy sighed gently. "I know." She stopped talking at that, but Amy gave her a look like she was expecting more. "…What?"

"Uh… I said 'I'm sorry'," she repeated.

Sammy looked from side to side, as if this was another trick. "I… I know. I know you're sorry. And I'm thankful you can say that you're sorry."

Amy gestured with her hand, in a 'keep going' motion.

Sammy raised her brow at her, but then realized what she was trying to get at. "Oh. _Ohhh._ Uh… Yeah, now _I'm_ sorry to have to say this, but for everything you've done to me? Yeah, no. I don't forgive you for apologizing for it."

It was apparently the opposite of what Amy wanted to hear, and her brow shot up in surprise. " _Seriously_? Even though I apologized and promised to do better?"

"Uh… _yeah_. Obviously." Sammy gave her a look of bewilderment. "Saying sorry and promising to do better doesn't suddenly erase _11 years_ worth of bullying and trauma. You have to _earn_ my forgiveness before I give it to you."

It was almost as if Amy was only realizing that for the first time. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were far away. "Oh. I see." She paused. "How… How should I do that?"

Sammy shrugged. "Just… try not to be a total ass to me and other people. Stop and think if what you're about to do or say is mean or rude and, like, don't go through with it. And… if you _really_ want me to forgive you…" She smiled wryly. "Start calling me by my _real_ name, okay?"

After a moment of mulling it over, Amy nodded. "Okay."

Sammy sighed and leaned upright against the wall. _That's probably as good as I'm gonna get from her._

" _T-minus five minutes and counting._ "

Her eyes shot open and she looked up at the speakers in the room. "Five minutes? I didn't realize we'd been talking that long…"

Amy was hyperventilating again and had curled herself up into a ball. She was muttering to herself, and though she was tempted Sammy chose not to try and overhear. "Look," she said to her sister. "Obviously we don't have the best relationship. But there was… always a part of me deep down that wished we _did_. I always hoped I'd have a sister I could gossip with, or go out for food or ice cream with, like you'd see other siblings do." With sorrow in her voice, she finished, "But I guess that was wishful thinking."

She didn't intend to strike a blow to Amy's self-loathing, but the pained expression on her face told her she did just that. "I know," Amy said. "I'm sorry."

Sammy tried to find something more uplifting to say, especially if these really _were_ their final moments. But nothing was coming to her. So she hugged her knees tight to her chest, attempted to calm her steadily increasing heartbeat, and waited.

…

…

…

Then there was a _roar_ coming from down the hall.

Sammy sprang to her feet and glanced down, only to gasp and back up.

"W-What?" Amy asked, also standing up. "What is it?"

But Sammy had no time to answer, as Scuba Bear _screeched_ into the room, its wheels leaving tire tracks on the metal floor. It raised its claws up and _roared_ once more, and sent both girls screaming and cowering in the corner of the room.

"Okay, robot bears are _so much_ worse than real bears!" Sammy declared.

"Don't eat me!" Amy screamed, covering her head with her arms. "I'm all skin and bones, no fat at all!"

"Both of us are!" Sammy added.

"No, it's okay, he's friendly!" came Ella's voice, but strangely it was in the direction _of_ Scuba Bear.

Amy gasped and pointed at the robot. "It _ate_ her!"

"What?! Ella, _no_!" Sammy shouted, with half a mind to dive into its mouth to fish her out.

"No, no, I'm okay!" All of a sudden Ella popped up from behind the bear, almost like she was riding on its back. "He gave me a ride, is all!"

Sammy let out a huge sigh of relief. "OMG!" she cried out, tears beginning to form.

"What the heck are you doing with him anyway?!" Amy asked skeptically.

"Simple!" Ella said, and the grin she was sporting told Sammy everything: she was going to stop the countdown, and no matter how many times Scarlett would put up a fuss, she wasn't going to quit. "I'm _shoving back!_ "

She pointed dramatically to the door and screamed, "Scuba Bear! _CHARGE!_ "

The robot let out another ear-splitting roar, backed up towards the wall (which was where Ella hopped off his back) and _slammed_ right into the door. Without missing a beat, it reared back and flew into it again, and again, and several more times afterwards. The door was solid enough that it was taking several blows to even dent it, but at the rate Scuba Bear was ramming it it wouldn't take long to take down.

Jasmine and Sky re-entered the scene, skidding to a stop just before getting hit by the robot, and started to catch their breath. "Crikey, this guy can move," Jasmine wheezed, fanning herself.

"Is it working?" Sky asked, leaning against the wall for support.

"Almost there!" Ella answered, her eyes never leaving her 'minion' at work. Scuba Bear struck once, twice more, and on the third plowed right through the door and into the control room.

" _NOOO!_ " Scarlett cried out from the inside, though Sammy was not in the right position to see what she was doing.

Ella ran in as soon as the door was down. "Scuba Bear! _STAY!_ " she cried out. Jasmine and Sky shared a look and a nod, and they immediately followed in after her with their own cries of attack. Sammy and Amy also looked at each other, though in confusion, and cautiously walked to the door.

There were sounds of a struggle, that much was for sure, and if there was any sort of fighting then it was likely that Scarlett was on the receiving end. Sure enough, looking through the door frame showed that Jasmine and Sky had Scarlett tied up by her own hair and was fighting to break free of it.

"We did it!" Sky cheered, high-fiving Jasmine.

"Hell yeah we did!" Jasmine agreed. "We work pretty good as a team, don't we?"

"We do! But this was really Ella's idea." Sky zipped over to Ella and wrapped her in a hug. "Which, by the way, was _awesome!_ Way to think on your feet, Ella!"

She graciously returned the hug. "Aww, thanks! It wasn't really that big a deal, though."

"You _really_ should've seen that one coming, mate," Jasmine said haughtily to Scarlett, who only growled in anger and kept wiggling to break free.

Sammy felt herself finally calming down, but then she remembered the _other_ elephant in the room and looked back towards the control panel. The main monitor over it showed the timer - and that it was currently counting down around the two-and-a-half-minute mark.

" _Aw crap!_ " Sammy ran forth, past Scuba Bear and Ella and the others and brought herself to the console. There were _far_ too many buttons for her to know which ones did what, but at least the keyboard in the center looked familiar. "Umm…! Uhh…!" She thought back to her computer at home; she was far from an technology guru, but she _did_ know of a way to get rid of programs that were acting up on her. It was highly unlikely that this would work in the same way, but it was worth a shot - at this point _anything_ was.

She inputted control-alt-delete, waited for a few agonizing seconds, and was pleasantly surprised when the task manager popped up. "Oh!" she gasped. "It worked!"

"End task!" Sky suddenly shouted from behind her. " _End task!_ "

"R-Right!" Expertly moving the mouse over the program that helpfully read 'SELF-DESTRUCT', Sammy clicked it, then the End Task button, and then…

Silence.

Silence, because the countdown stopped counting down.

When the timer stopped at 2 minutes 17 seconds, Sammy was half-convinced it was still a trick. It was only when she stared at it for a solid ten seconds longer, and was then pounced on by an enthusiastic Ella and having kisses planted on her cheek, that she realized that they were fine. That they were going to live. That everything was going to be okay.

Sammy started to laugh, the relief flooding every inch of her body. The laughing soon turned to tears, and she crumpled to the floor and wrapped Ella in a soothing, snot-covered embrace.

"We're alive!" she sobbed into Ella's shoulder. _"We're_ _alive!_ W-We did it!"

" _You_ did it!" Ella corrected. "You shut it off. Now _you're_ the hero here."

Through the tears, Sammy laughed again. "We're _both_ heroes. H-How about that?"

Ella's grip tightened, and Sammy swore she never felt anything more comforting in her life. "That sounds _perfect_."

"Yeah," she said quietly, and allowed the tears to keep falling. "It does."


	14. From Unexpected Places

The waterworks went on for an embarrassingly long time, though from everyone else's reactions it seemed no one was blaming her. Ella did her best to soothe Sammy into calming down, though the shudders and sniffles coming from her were signs that she was just barely holding it together herself. Sammy took the opportunity to try and comfort her as well.

When her crying _finally_ died down, the two stood back up and rejoined the conversation currently taking place. Jasmine was holding Scarlett aloft under the arms, dangling her like one would a child. "You have a _lot_ to answer for, you know that?" she asked the redhead, glaring daggers at her. "Just what the hell were you thinking, threatening Chris with our lives and demanding the million like that?"

Scarlett snarled at her and kept wriggling to get out of her confines. "I was _thinking_ about getting the money, obviously! I was attempting to play the game as anyone would, to earn it fairly and stay under the radar, but it should be clear as day that I'm nowhere near capable of besting the lot of you in any of these ridiculous challenges. I had to take what opportunities were presented to me, and usurping control of the island and forcing McLean to give up the money was the one to most likely succeed." She tutted and looked away. "Clearly, I was wrong."

"At least she can admit it," Ella said to Sammy under her breath. The blonde nodded in response.

But then Ella went rigid as Scarlett directed her scowl towards her. "Though I _would have_ been able to do it had it not been for you and that stupid _bear!_ " She motioned towards Scuba Bear, which was now simply standing by the door and watching everyone talk. Amy, who was standing right next to it, took notice of the robot for the first time and quickly scuttled away in fright. "How did you wrest control of it over me? And the same for those blasted Chris robots! What on earth did you _do?!_ "

Ella was frozen in fright, her body slightly trembling from the intensity of Scarlett's voice. The courage she had gained when dealing with the robots had evaporated entirely, now that she was dealing with someone who couldn't be tamed through song. There was such malice and hatred in Scarlett's eyes that anyone would have withered under them, so Sammy couldn't blame her. But she also wasn't just going to sit back and let that happen, so she slipped her hand into Ella's and squeezed, a reminder that she was there. Ella let out a shaky breath and stood her ground. "I sang," she said. "I sang and they listened to me. I don't know how it works, just that I was able to use it against _you_."

Scarlett was clearly not expecting that to be the answer. "You _sang?!_ And they all _listened?!_ How is that even remotely possible?!"

"Like I said, I don't know."

"Something tells me that everything in here is kinda shoddily built," Sammy said. "I mean… I shut down the self-destruct by closing the program down."

"Not to mention that everything went haywire in the first place," Sky added. "What exactly _happened_ that caused it, I wonder?"

"Whatever it was, the worst of it is over now," Jasmine said. She looked back at Scarlett in her hands when she heard her talking under her breath. "Oi." Jasmine shook her slightly. "What're you muttering about?"

Scarlett was not pleased with the interruption. "I'm _attempting_ to determine what caused the robots to ignore their programming and listen to _her_." It was then that Scarlett started speaking a mile a minute. "It must have been a fault in the audio intake systems, and she was singing at just the right pitch to cause some sort of malfunction in the action decision-making component of the robots' central processing system…"

"Uh…" Sky was looking a little lost. "Yeah, has anyone told you that you talk _really_ fast sometimes?"

Scarlett glanced at her and smirked. "Oh I'm _very_ aware of when I do it."

"Right, well," Jasmine replied, choosing to ignore her own confusion. "I don't think it really matters _how_ it happened, just that it was enough to take you out of the picture." Scarlett only grumbled at this.

"Hey, not that I don't find this _fascinating_ ," Amy spoke up, now awkwardly standing in the corner of the room, "but can we get out of here please? This place still gives me the creeps."

"For once, I agree with her," Sammy added, earning her a slightly surprised look from her sister. "We shut down the self-destruct, we stopped Scarlett… I think we're done here."

Before anyone else spoke, the monitor flickered to life once more, and the back of Chris's head was shown. "Guys, there's about a minute left before the detonation, so I just wanted to take the chance to say-" He turned around and saw that everyone was giving him an unimpressed look. " _Whoa!_ " he exclaimed genuinely when he saw the six of them. "You guys are alive! _And_ you took down Scarlett! _Nice!_ Way better than dying, am I right?"

"Yes," Jasmine scoffed. "No thanks to you!"

"You're lucky you did such a crappy job designing these robots," Sky told him. "They helped us break down the door to get in here!"

"The robots did?" Chris asked, his eyes glancing over to Scuba Bear. "That's weird. They shouldn't have _helping_ you guys wired into their brains. I'll have to take a look at it later."

"Check the auditory processors," Scarlett suddenly said. "They must be flawed considering that Ella-"

"Nope!" Jasmine covered her mouth with one of her hands. "You're gonna put a cork in it, y'hear?" Scarlett let out a muffled cry and glared sharply at her.

"Uh…" Chris started, his eyes glancing over to Ella. "Anyone know what she was about to say?"

"Ah, nope!" Sammy answered without thinking. "Just the ravings of a madwoman! Seriously, if she's willing to kill us for a bit of money, then she's not worth thinking about."

"Hmm…" Chris drew out his chin-scratching to uncomfortable levels, as he was wont to do, and Sammy's awkward smile was starting to hurt after a bit. But thankfully he just shrugged it off. "Whatevs. You guys come back up to the surface. We're going to be having an _extra_ special elimination tonight!" Chris directed them towards an elevator not too far down the hall, and disappeared from the screen.

The moment he was gone, there were four sighs of relief from the six of them, and they all turned to frown at Scarlett. "We're probably gonna have to tape her mouth up or something," Sky suggested.

Scarlett attempted to speak, but Jasmine's hand was muffling her. With a roll of her eyes the Australian freed her mouth. "That won't do you any good," she said. "Chris or one of his lackeys will undoubtedly review the footage, and once he sees that Ella sang during a challenge, it'll be curtains for her."

In all of the chaos, Sammy _did_ forget that little detail, but there was no going back on it now. At the same time, Ella didn't look particularly upset by this, and didn't back down as Scarlett smirked at her. "I may get eliminated, but at least we're all still alive. I'd gladly give my place on this show up if it means we all get to walk out of here on our own two feet."

Scarlett scoffed. "What a load of _bullshit_. Friendship and empathy are a weakness. It's absolutely _absurd_ that you've made it as far as you have with that mindset."

"What's _absurd_ is that you think you know me enough to be able to say that," Ella spat back. Sammy's hand was starting to hurt from Ella squeezing it so hard, but she wasn't about to say or do a thing about it. "Caring about other people is _not_ a shortcoming for me. If it wasn't for my friends I wouldn't be the person I am now, and I wouldn't want to be anyone else."

"And what happens when they turn on you? Hm? No friendship or relationship lasts forever. It's only a matter of time before they stab you in the back to get what they want."

"Maybe in _your_ world they will. But I know for a fact that my friends, my _true_ friends, would never willingly let anything bad happen to me, let alone be the cause of it." Ella grinned at Sammy, and received a smile right back. "I trust my friends. They have my back, and I have theirs. And that's something you'll most likely _never_ understand, so please, kindly take your bad attitude and _zip it_."

Surprisingly, Scarlett blinked at her, almost like she was stunned at the demand. Since it came from Ella of all people, it was a justified reaction. However the glare returned in full force, and actually settled on Sammy this time. "Ah, right. This is all because of _you_ , isn't it? You're just another of all of these fools, aren't you?"

Taken aback by the accusation, Sammy looked to the others for clarification, but none was to be found. "W-What? Me? What do you mean?"

Scarlett barked out a mocking laugh. "If you need to ask, then you're the biggest fool of all! You come to this island with no backbone to speak of, and yet here you are, a week and a half later, and you've already gotten half of the cast on your side. Hell, you're even somehow winning over your _sister_ of all people, and you're supposed to _detest_ one another! With you at the center of it all, it would've been in everyone's best interest if you were eliminated sooner rather than later. That way this entire social structure you've built around yourself would've fallen apart, and the thing connecting everyone together would no longer be there. Then it would've only been a trivial matter to turn everyone else against each other and make it to the finale."

She was reminded of what Chris had said during the night's elimination, that she apparently had a knack for making friends despite barely ever having a friend in her life before now. Was this what he was talking about? Ella, Sky, Shawn, Beardo, Jasmine, and now possibly Amy… that _was_ a lot of people to have on her side, especially when the reward of a million dollars was at stake. And now that she thought about it… one of the main reasons they were so close in the first place was because of her and her desire to become stronger. That night where the five of them had bonded over the campfire, sharing their hobbies and interests and goals, where she had spilled her guts about Amy, had to be the turning point for all of that. If she had not been placed on Team Maskwak, if she had somehow been put on Kinosewak's team and wasn't in arm's length of Ella and the others, would they even be here now, as close as they were at this point in time? Chances were, probably not.

But then, in the midst of these thoughts swarming her head, Sammy's mind zeroed in on what _exactly_ Scarlett was saying. "Wait. _Wait_. Y… _You_ wanted me eliminated?!" She pointed at Scarlett in shock. "But- But earlier you were encouraging me to confess to Ella! You _wanted_ me to talk to her! Why would you try to get us together when you were just going to get rid of me right after?!"

"Because I despise weakness! And you were simply _swimming_ in it." She grew a wicked smile, causing Sammy to taste bile. "Besides, if you ended up together with her, and were then promptly eliminated moments later, it would've _killed_ you on the spot."

Sammy frowned. _Huh. You know… she's probably not wrong._

Scarlett growled and turned her attention elsewhere. "But that obviously didn't come to pass, because _someone_ _chose to not stick to the plan!_ "

Everyone's eyes turned to where Scarlett was looking, and unsurprisingly they all landed on Amy. She was leaning up against the wall with her arms crossed, and looked away in frustration at being the center of attention.

"You could've gotten _rid of her_ if you just did as I said!" Scarlett shouted at her. "But no. You gave into your own weakness and couldn't go through with it. You're even more of a coward than _she_ was when she got here!"

"Oh, will you _shut up?!_ " Amy screamed at her, banging a fist against the steel wall. "I have my reasons for not voting for her! And besides, I'm not exactly the sort of person to follow someone else's orders! So really, you just set yourself up for a bad time in the first place."

Scarlett was beginning to turn scarlet in frustration. "We had a deal! We were going to get to the end together!"

Amy wryly grinned and shook her head. "Ha! As if you weren't planning on backstabbing me yourself when it was most convenient for you! Besides, you made the mistake of targeting the one person I wanted to apologize to!"

Something clicked in Sammy's mind as they bickered. Ella, Sky, and herself had voted for Shawn. Jasmine and Shawn had voted for Sammy, though that much was obvious. If Scarlett had also voted for her, then it was a tie between the six of them, with only one other person's vote determining who was to be eliminated.

Sammy's eyes went wide in realization. Realization of the fact that Amy had voted for Shawn, _not_ her, and the only reason why she was standing here right now was _because her sister pretty much saved her_. And that thought…

…Actually didn't make her as uncomfortable as it might have originally.

"You're the odd one out now!" Scarlett was saying, her and Amy's squabble still going on. "You won't make it to the end without me!"

"I'm willing to take my goddamn chances, thank you very much!" Amy screamed at her. "Especially after tonight! Who in their right minds would buddy up with someone willing to kill them?!"

They started spouting insults at each other, and it took all of Sammy's willpower not to make an exit right then and there. Luckily, someone else was getting sick of it as well. "Alright, _THAT'S ENOUGH!"_ Jasmine shouted at the both of them. It was loud enough that they both immediately silenced themselves. "It doesn't matter who sided with who anymore! It's done, _you're_ done," she pointed to Scarlett, "and we're leaving now!"

Without another word Jasmine left the control room, Scarlett now clumsily being carried under her arm like a football, and vanished behind the corner.

Looking between the few remaining people in the room, Sky awkwardly shuffled her feet. "I'm… really not sure what to make of all that," she said with plenty of hesitation. "But honestly, I'm just glad we're all alive. Way to go, you guys." She gave Sammy and Ella quick hugs, and hurried out of the room after Jasmine.

This left Sammy, Ella, and Amy alone in the room, and the tension was… _weird_ to say the least. Ella offered her a strained smile, and Amy refused to look at her. Not wanting to beat around the bush, Sammy walked up to her sister. "You… _didn't_ vote for me?"

Amy took one glance at her, then shrugged and looked away. "Like I said… I wanted to apologize. And I couldn't do that if you were gone."

She finally had the chance to get rid of her, and she didn't take it. Maybe Amy really did want to change after all. With a small smile, Sammy put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Thanks."

Amy stiffened at the contact, though she only shrugged again. "W-Whatever. You know there's nothing holding me back from voting for you now, though, right?"

Sammy laughed. "There's the Amy I know."

Amy gave her a half-smile. It… was genuine. And looked really out of place. Not to say it was bad, though. "So, uh, does this count towards you… _eventually_ forgiving me?"

"Well, considering you did that _before_ we talked and agreed to it, I'm gonna say… no."

Amy huffed and rolled her eyes. "Aw, come on. That's low, Sis."

Sammy was momentarily startled by the ending of that sentence, but got over it pretty quickly. "Well… that's not my real name, but you get brownie points for the effort."

"Gee, _thanks_ ," Amy scoffed, but there was no anger or venom in her voice. She looked past Sammy towards Ella, who had ended up over at and commanding Scuba Bear to go hibernate once more. "So, uh… are you two, like, a thing now?"

Sammy inhaled sharply and found herself unable to speak. For all her boasting that she wouldn't care what Amy would say, she almost instantly found herself terrified of it. _Yep. Still not better. Go me._

Ella, having heard her and now a part of the conversation, walked up to the both of them. "We… haven't had a chance to speak about it yet. It only really happened about two minutes before you entered that… weird Chris room."

"Really? Huh." She gave Sammy a look. "Thought it would've been sooner than that."

Sammy, groaning in frustration, gripped the sides of her head. "Did _everybody_ on this island know that I liked Ella before I said anything?"

"I'm gonna be honest, chances are you were probably the last person to even figure it out," Amy told her, a fraction of a smile tugging at her lips.

"Ugh… Yeah, that sounds like me, alright."

"I mean, your face turns red quite easily," Ella told her with a giggle. "It was pretty easy to tell when the crush started."

"But why didn't you say anything?" Sammy asked her. "It could've saved me from a lot of internal panicking and embarrassment."

"Aw, I'm sorry," she said sympathetically. "I guess… I was still trying to figure things out for myself. I'd never thought about falling for a girl before now and I suppose it caught me off guard."

Sammy anxiously played with some hair that had gotten free of her ponytail. "So… is that, like, a good or bad thing?"

Ella hummed in thought, and then planted a kiss on Sammy's cheek. "You tell me."

A giddy, stupid-looking grin forced itself onto her face. "Good. Definitely good."

"Oh my _gag_ , get a room you two," Amy droned, and walked out into the hallway.

That old feeling of anxiety started creeping into Sammy's gut, and she followed Amy out. She supposed the reason she cared so much _now_ rather than a few days ago was because there was at least a _semblance_ of a civil relationship between the two. And if her sister was put off by the fact that Sammy was gay, then that semblance was as good as history.

"Hey, uh," she said hesitantly. Amy acknowledged her but didn't stop walking. "You're not like… upset or anything because I like girls, are you?"

Her sister blinked and shrugged. "Uh… no? Why would I be? You like who you like, and who you like doesn't bother me."

She felt the rising pressure immediately deescalate. "Oh. Cool. Thanks." Amy grew silent again and focused on the hallway ahead of them, and Sammy felt there was more to it than that. "Though… you _are_ upset over something, aren't you?"

Amy looked like she wanted to keep quiet, although she quickly decided against it by sighing heavily and rubbing at her eyes. "I'm just pissed at myself for not finding someone who likes me before you did. I dunno. It's petty." Quietly, and mostly to herself, she added, "Like me."

Sammy started to reach out a comforting hand to her, but chose not to. A part of her realized that she _really_ shouldn't be giving Amy the time of day, considering everything she had put her through all her life. But Sammy was an empathetic person, and she knew that Amy was struggling with her own issues. Wouldn't it technically be hypocritical of her to ignore someone else in their time of need? Especially now that she said she was wanting and able to do better. Sammy couldn't see herself forgiving Amy so easily, but that didn't mean she was just going to leave her to deal with it on her own.

"I'm… sure you'll find someone," Sammy told her in the end. "You just… you know, need to work on those more positive qualities of yours."

Amy laughed dryly. "Yeah, that's not happening anytime soon."

"Does it _need_ to be soon?"

She awkwardly rubbed her arm. "I guess not, no."

"There's still time. You're 16, you've got your whole life to find someone who likes you for who you are. There's no rush."

"I know that. But… ugh. Still. It's like…" She placed a hand on her chest and gripped her shirt angrily. "It's like my head is telling me I _need_ to find someone now, otherwise no one is _ever_ gonna want to date me. You know?"

"I get those thoughts too," Sammy said.

Ella, who had been walking behind them this entire time, chimed in. "We all do. Those thoughts are not easy to ignore, but… you'll get used to it, as you keep working on yourself."

"Yeah," Sammy agreed. "They don't go away immediately, but you learn to deal with them and eventually you'll stop thinking that way."

Amy looked between them both. "You sure?"

"Positive," Sammy answered.

Another half-smile. "Okay. I'll hold you both to that."

Sammy gave a genuine smile at her sister, for what felt like the first time ever. There may still be parts of Sammy's mind that were working against her, but she was making her way towards working _with_ those parts. She wasn't the only one with problems, but if she was able to help those who had them in even a little way, that would be okay for her.

* * *

Standing on the path leading to the cannon, Sammy watched in righteous joy as Chris threw one marshmallow after another at the sociopath who almost killed her and her friends.

"You are _so_ eliminated!" yelled Chris. "You're more eliminated than anyone's ever been eliminated! Even that wizard guy's got nothing on you! How come no one bothered to do background checks on these guys before bringing them on?!"

"Weren't you the one who chose the contestants?" Chef asked him with a raised brow. "That should'a been on you, man."

The host paused for a moment. "Whatever!" Chris punctuated this by throwing the entire tray at Scarlett, though she ducked down into the cannon to dodge it. "Normally, I ask the person up for cannon fodder if they have any final words, but I'm not giving you the opportunity to speak! So _goodbye_ , Scarlett!" He raised his remote to send her off, but stopped when his phone began to ring. "Ugh, seriously?"

Sammy and Ella shared a worried look as he answered and listened. "Uh-huh? …Uh-huh." His eyebrows shot up. " _Really?_ I see. Okay." He hung up the phone and turned his attention to the five remaining competitors. "That was the dude in charge of going over the footage for the show, and he gave me a _pre-tty_ interesting tidbit."

"Here we go," Ella whispered morosely.

"It turns out, one of our own players has broken a promise." No one openly reacted to that. " _Shocker_. I know." He had a serious look on his face; whether it was real or part of the act, Sammy wasn't sure. "Ella."

With a heavy sigh, she looked away.

"If you recall, we previously established that you would, under no circumstances, sing, whether it was to yourself, for others, towards the animals, or just in general. Tonight, you broke that promise, and I'm sure you're fully aware of what that means for you."

"Yes, I do." She refused to look at him.

"Ella, from this moment on you are officially disqualified from Total Drama: Pahkitew Island." He raised a hand towards the cannon. "If you would so kindly join Scarlett in preparation of being blasted off the island?"

With only the hint of a glare, Ella stuck her nose in the air and walked with as much dignity as she could. "I don't regret doing _any_ of it."

"Wait, please," Sammy suddenly found herself saying, and rushed to catch up with Ella. "I-I'm sorry. Again. I wish I had said something sooner, before this happened. I'm such an-"

"Shush," she said, putting a callused finger on Sammy's lips. "Don't finish that thought."

Sammy slowly nodded. "R-Right. Sorry."

"It's okay. Everything's okay, you hear me?" Likely to take notice away from the tears forming, she took Sammy's hands and held them tightly. "I know you feel like it's going to be hard, but you can do this. I _know_ you can do this. You made it this far, and nothing's going to stand in your way. You understand?"

Unable to keep her own tears from streaming down her face, Sammy nodded sadly. Ella wiped away the water leaking from her eyes, and pulled her in for a quick kiss. "I'm going to miss you," Sammy said.

"And I'm going to miss _you_. But you'll be okay. I believe in you."

Sammy sniffed loudly and unattractively. "Th-Thank you."

It was going to be painful without Ella, but she could do this. She still had a job to do, a game to win. Sure, Sky and Jasmine were probably going to be tough to beat, but she could do it. She _had_ to do it. Ella was counting on her to do it. There was no backing down now.

"Alright, that's enough out of you two," Chris said, having walked up to them and physically pulled them apart. He pointed a finger right at Sammy's face. "You're lucky I don't stuff you in there with them, for what you did to the island."

"Wh- _What?_ " Sammy arched a brow at him. "What _I_ did? What did _I_ do?"

"Remember when you ate those Juggy Chunks a few hours ago?"

 _As if I could forget_ that _._

"Yeah, you kinda puked in a bush that was scheduled for changing up in the bunker. It ended up getting all over the wiring in the transition, and sparked some sort of chain reaction that caused the whole island to go off its rocker."

Sammy's mouth hung open in shock as the others gasped. "Wh- B-But I- _Huh?!_ "

"Since it was an accident, you're off the hook. But you're _also_ on thin ice, so I'd watch myself if I were you."

Sammy had _no idea_ she had done that, and if she were in the right state of mind would have probably told Chris that he should have had more countermeasures to _puke_ of all things. But she also knew when she was beat, and chose not to say anything. She gave Ella a strained, forced smile, and backed up towards the others. Ella gave one last wave, and turned back to the cannon.

 _This is it,_ Sammy thought sadly. _I didn't actually think one of us would be gone so soon after I confessed… We haven't even figured out if we're together or not yet. God, I feel so… so… so hopeless right now…_

She looked up to the cannon, where Scarlett was waiting, and noticed that she was watching her with the _nastiest_ smirk Sammy had ever seen. _Ah, dammit, and now Scarlett gets to enjoy the show… This day has been nothing but ups and downs, and the sun is just barely coming up. I just want to go back to bed and sleep and forget this night ever-_

" _HOLD IT!_ "

The shout caused Sammy to instinctively flinch and tense up, and when she opened her eyes she was surprised to see that Ella and Chris were looking at _her_. "What did I just say about being on thin ice?" Chris asked her testily.

"What?! N-No, that wasn't me!" she desperately defended.

"No, you knucklehead, it was _me_!" And from the back of the group Amy pushed her way past everyone.

"Wh- _Amy?!_ " Sammy asked in confusion.

Her sister ignored her and marched right up to the host. "You're _really_ just gonna get rid of her because she sang?" Chris didn't answer right away, and Amy agitatedly urged him on. "Not a rhetorical question, McLean. Answer me!"

Clearly taken aback, but also highly suspicious, Chris plainly answered, "Yyyes? What's it to you?"

Amy's glare was unimpressed. "So you're kicking off the girl who literally saved our lives. The girl who stopped the lunatic who was threatening not _just_ us, but also your stupid island and your precious _show_. You realize that if it wasn't for her, none of us would be here right now? We'd all be _dead_ , and there would be a _lot_ of angry parents looking to sue your ass because either their kids were on an island that could've exploded at any second, or because their kids were _on_ the island when it _did_."

Chris looked genuinely surprised at the accusations, but didn't get a chance to speak as Amy's tirade continued. "And that's not even getting into half the crap you pulled in the last _five seasons_. Holding the finale on a volcano? Starving that one guy into becoming feral? Forcing the last group to stay on a mutated island, where some of them actually got _affected_ by it? And don't get me started on those gross-as-hell _balloons_ you made them get in at the end of last season! Are those guys still floating over the ocean, by the way? Or have they all _suffocated_ from the lack of air? You've pulled a _lot_ of shit in the past, McLean, and I sincerely doubt you'd be let off with a slap on the wrist like last time if you get caught again."

Chris, while slightly unnerved at the spiel, still seemed unconvinced, even though Amy just laid out several moments from his sketchy history. "You got a point to this, or what?"

"Yeah, I got a freaking point! Ella doesn't deserve to be kicked off! She's the only one who managed to keep your ass from being chased down by the cops again! You should be _grateful_ she sang, because now you get to keep on terrorizing us for those goddamn ratings you're practically married to!"

Sammy was barely able to comprehend what was going on. Amy was _defending_ Ella? Of her own free will? _This makes no sense. When did I enter the mirror world without realizing?_

"You're seriously complaining about this?" Chris asked. "You know you'll have one less person between you and the million without her here, right?"

"Oh, I'm aware. And yet here I am, telling you that she _shouldn't_ go."

"Well, that's great, but my mind is already made up. Ella goes, and _you're_ going to stop talking now."

Amy's glare intensified, to the point where Sammy started reliving old, dreadful memories and felt herself squirming on the spot. "Like I said… Without Ella, there wouldn't even _be_ a show. And I'm willing to bet that also applies to _right_ _now_."

"What?" Chris asked, his face scrunched in bewilderment. "What are you-"

"Let me put it in words you _might_ understand…"

And with a stomp of her foot for emphasis, Amy yelled,

"I _QUIT!_ "

Literally _everyone_ screamed in shock, from the girls, to Chris and Chef, to even Scarlett still in the cannon. Sammy's mind was working a mile a minute, trying to grasp what Amy was saying. Defending Ella was one thing - deciding to _quit the game_ for her was something entirely different, and Sammy had no clue what it was that was causing this outburst from her. But at this point, her reasons hardly mattered, really.

Chris was sputtering out a response. "Y-You can't just quit! There'd only be three people left! We can't drag out the final episodes with three people!"

"Then you're gonna have to find some way to work around that, buddy!" Amy shouted back. Her hands were at her side, and clenched furiously - although, when Sammy looked closer, they were opening and closing rather quickly. Like she was anxious about something, or like…

Then it hit her.

 _She's not anxious… That's a freaking_ sign!

" _I quit too!_ " Sammy shrieked at them, stepping forward. All eyes turned to her, most in shock and one other in triumph. "If Ella's leaving the show because she allowed us to live, then I don't want any part of it!"

"What?! No! _NO!_ None of you can quit!" Chris was getting furious, and waved his hands in front of him. "You're all gonna shut up now and-"

"And what if we don't want to?!" Sky spoke up, stepping in line with Sammy. She and her sister grinned at the action. "Amy's right, what you're doing is totally uncalled for! She had no choice in the matter, it was either sing or get killed by your stupid robots! She saved us, and your show, and now you're throwing her away like garbage! You should be _ashamed_ of yourself!"

"Hey, I am _never_ ashamed of my actions!" Chris attempted to protest.

"Well maybe you should _start_!"

"You know, it _is_ a shame, though," Jasmine said, joining them. "Without Ella, there really _won't_ be a show…" With a smirk, she folded her arms. "That's just how it's gotta be, I suppose. And here I was, finally starting to get used to this island…"

Chris was _actually_ starting to seethe from anger. Chef was wise enough to stay out of it, Scarlett was watching everything with unrestrained delight, and Ella herself looked a mix between absolutely flattered and desperately horrified. "Y-You guys don't need to do this! I've made my choice and-"

Amy whirled on her. "Is it really your choice if your options were shit to begin with?" she interrupted. "You're seriously telling me that you're just gonna accept elimination or death, and nothing else? What happened to 'shoving back' or whatever it was you said? Or are you just gonna let this two-bit, washed-up _sadist_ tell you what to do?!"

"' _Washed-up_ '?!" Chris repeated aghast.

"I- I…" Ella was looking torn, unsure of what to do. Her hands were clutching her hair, almost pulling it, as she tried to come to a solution. "B-But if Chris is the one in charge, and if he's saying I'm gone…"

"Freaking forget him!" said Amy, waving her arm as if to shove him away. "Be selfish for once in your goddamn life! Isn't this something that _you_ want?!"

Ella stared at nothing as her mind warred with itself. Her eyes were shrunken and she was actually beginning to sweat from her forehead. But then, her face set in realization, and she looked up at Chris with a fire in her eyes. "Actually… You know what, they're right! It _is_ unfair that I have to leave! In what world is it a good idea to punish someone for doing good? For saving peoples' lives? More than likely, that's going to get a _lot_ of hate when the episode airs!"

This was, apparently, something Chris didn't think about. He was visibly distressed, and the glares he received from all of the remaining contestants was causing him to sweat buckets.

"Hey, that's true!" Sky said. "If the threat of legal action doesn't convince him, then low ratings and bad press _will_!"

"And what's a good way to guarantee low ratings?" Jasmine asked the others. "By not being able to actually finish the show. If we all quit, then there's no way you'd be able to scrape together something coherent for the network!"

"I'm telling you, _no one is quitting_!" Chris continued to say angrily. "You all signed contracts! You're good for being on the show for _at least_ another 10 years, with room for extensions!"

"Oh, I'm glad you brought the contracts up, actually," Amy said to him, her tone dangerously low and a practically sinister grin etched on her face.

"W-What are you talking about?" Chris asked her.

"I don't think we told you yet, but our mom," she motioned between herself and Sammy, "is a lawyer. A _really_ good lawyer. She's been able to sniff out corruption and shady business dealings for _years_. She's the best lawyer in her firm, and she gets requested for case after case on a _daily basis_. So honestly, right now, you're caught between a rock and a harder rock."

"Ahh, rock and a hard place," Jasmine quietly corrected.

Amy flushed and shooed Jasmine away. "Ugh, whatever! The point stands!"

"I do agree with her, though," Sammy said. "Mom is _crazy_ good at what she does, and has a _lot_ of victories in court under her belt. I feel like if _anyone_ was able to take down Total Drama because of how it operates, it's gonna be _her_."

"So what's it gonna be McLean?" Amy asked one last time, getting in his face and pointing him in the nose. "You gonna let Ella stay in the game, and avoid causing a huge and needless scene? Or do you _want_ the show to end before it's supposed to, take a nosedive in ratings, _and_ get investigated by a mother who _actually_ has a stake in what happens on it?!" She stood up straight, folded her arms, and smirked confidently. "From the looks of it, _you're_ the one out of options now."

Chris was desperately trying to think of a counter to everything, but it appeared that he couldn't find one. In the end, he rubbed his hands down his face and groaned loudly and angrily. " _Okay!_ Okay! Fine, you guys win! Ella gets to stay! Are you happy now?!"

The cheers and cries from the girls could be heard from all over the ceremony area, and Sammy and Sky ran up to Ella to tackle her in a hug. All three were then promptly scooped up by Jasmine and squeezed tightly, which ended up hurting more than expected but Sammy wasn't in the mood to care. _Oh thank_ god _, Ella's not gone! That was so close! But I'm so happy now! We can keep going to the finale together!_

For her part, Ella seemed visibly shocked but yelled all the same. The tears from before had made their way down her cheeks, and Sammy couldn't help but give her kisses of pure happiness for what they had just won.

Suddenly one of Jasmine's arms disappeared, and the next thing anyone knew Amy had been drawn into the hug as well. She looked somewhat uncomfortable, but the infectious laughter and cheers from the others broke through her defenses and she couldn't help but holler with everyone else.

Through it all, Sammy was just able to make out a conversation in the background. "Man, they got you _good_."

"Oh, put a sock in it, Hatchet."

After an appropriate amount of time, Chris called for attention once more. He was miffed, that was clear, but he was trying to keep it under wraps. Due to being unwilling to air that particular conversation, the host called for everyone to line up back where they were and to retake the scene. "Ella," he said when the cameras resumed rolling, "I've been told by one of our staff that you broke your 'no-singing' promise." Ella put her acting skills to work and frowned deeply at that. "Normally, I would have to disqualify you for that. But because you're _literally_ the reason we're all standing here right now," he subtly glared at the others behind Ella, who gave him varying degrees of saucy grins, "I'm going to ignore your transgressions for now."

Unable to hold out any longer, the girls sans Amy tackled Ella into another hug.

" _That being said_ ," Chris continued through grit teeth, " _don't_ do it again. I won't change my mind a second time."

Ella saluted to him. "You can count on me," she said.

With that taken care of, Chris glared up at the cannon, where Scarlett still laid in waiting with a self-satisfied smirk on her face. It was a good thing they decided to tie her up properly with rope, else she could have escaped and be running free around the island again. "Anywho," Chris said. " _You're_ still getting the boot. I hope you enjoy your flight!"

"After watching you get utterly _trounced_ by a group of high school girls?" Scarlett asked cockily. "Please. I'll be riding on cloud nine the whole way out of here."

Chris growled and loudly yelled, " _Whatever! Goodbye!_ " He violently pressed the button on his remote, and Scarlett was blasted away, laughing loudly all the way out of earshot. " _Jeez_ , what is up with this season's cast being a bunch of freakshows?!" he asked no one in particular.

"Probably has something to do with the guy who chose them!" Jasmine spat back at him.

Chris wasn't having any of it. "Alright, episode's over, so get out of my sight! We're starting late in the afternoon so we can _all_ get some sleep, but don't think that because the island's on shutdown the challenges are going to get any easier!"

He shooed everyone away so that he could close out the episode, and the five remaining players found themselves walking back up the path.

"Well then," Ella started. She had her hands pressed together and a serious expression on her face. "That was… how shall I put this eloquently…"

She paused just long enough for the others to wait for the response, and with exaggerated hand movements and a wide grin on her face she said,

" _A_ _bsolutely freaking_ _nuts!_ "

Most of them burst out laughing at the apt description, especially coming from someone normally unwilling and unable to say anything like that. With the tension now all but vanished, everyone's spirits were riding high.

Ella stepped out in front of them and turned back around to face them. "Thank you, all of you, for making Chris change his mind. If you hadn't all banded together I'd be sailing through the air right now." She looked specifically towards the back of the group. "Especially you, Amy. You were the most adamant of us all, I think. So from the bottom of my heart, _thank you_."

Amy was shocked to be addressed, and awkwardly looked away. "Uh… Yeah. NBD, or whatever."

"No, it _is_ a big deal," Sammy told her, "because it actually is because of _you_. I don't think any of us would've had the guts to do something like that, especially to Chris of all people. So, uh… thanks."

Amy blinked rapidly in thought. "Huh. I… guess you're right." She was lost in thought for a moment, and cleared her throat before continuing. "Uh, yeah. You're… You're welcome."

"Why'd you do it, anyway?" Jasmine asked. Unlike the rest of them, she still seemed wary of Amy, if the suspicious glare she was sending her way meant anything. "You don't strike me as someone who would do something out of the goodness of your heart all of a sudden like that. Especially after how much of a _pain_ you've been all season."

Amy became visibly irritated from that, her fists clenched and her jaw set. Before she could say anything she might regret, Sammy quickly stepped in. "She's been doing some thinking, and she wants to do better. I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt for the time being."

"…Huh." The outback explorer didn't seem all that convinced, and continued to give Amy the stink eye. "That so?"

Groaning heavily, Amy regarded Jasmine evenly. " _Look_. I was a bitch, okay? I admit that. I know that might not mean much, but I _am_ trying to change, just like she said. It's… hard for me, 'cuz my mind keeps wanting me to act angry when I know I shouldn't be. I'm just doing what I can to make things easier on everyone. And, I know you don't trust me, after everything I've said and done, but…" She rubbed her arm sheepishly, and despite her awkwardness there was a touch of hope in her eyes. "Maybe if I can prove I can be a good person, then… maybe you might?"

Sammy knew Amy _really_ wanted this, really _needed_ it. And that need seemed to get through to Jasmine, who backed off after she was done talking. "Alright, I see how it is now." To Sammy she said, "If you're cool with it, then I guess there's nothing to worry about."

Sammy nodded. "I'm keeping an eye on her, but she's been doing pretty good in the last, oh, twenty minutes or so."

That elicited some chuckles from the others, while Amy simply rolled her eyes, a smirk on her lips. With a smirk of her own, Jasmine nudged Amy in the arm. "In that case, how's it feel to get a proper thanks for something once in a while?"

Amy gave Jasmine a sidelong glance. "It's… good. I could get used to it."

"If you keep at it, you'll feel good about it a lot more often," Sammy told her. "That said… I know what you just did was awesome, but I still haven't forgiven you yet."

She sighed. "Yeah, I figured it wouldn't be that easy."

"Anyways, I'm ready to sleep for like, a hundred years." Sammy yawned and rubbed at her eyes. The adrenaline from before had left her body entirely, and she was _this_ close to just passing out on the spot. "Thank god we get to sleep in tomorrow."

"Seriously," Sky agreed. "Do, ah, do any of you mind if I take a bed in the treehouse? A mattress sounds _so_ much better than the ground right now."

"By all means, go ahead," Jasmine told her. "Sheets haven't been changed, but at this point I'm not sure any of you care."

"That's for sure," Ella said with a nod. "We'll worry about that in the morn-" The barest hint of sunlight rose from beyond the ocean's horizon and struck everyone in the face as she spoke. "Um, afternoon, rather."

Sammy laughed, tiredly but heartily, and was reminded once more that things had taken a substantial turn for the better. Aside from Chris, any source of drama was gone from the show, they were all still alive and still on their way to hopefully becoming richer, and for once, it looked like things with Amy were starting to get just a bit better. She doubted she'd feel totally comfortable around her sister for a good long while, but that's why progress was a thing. It would probably happen naturally over the course of several years, but at least, for the time being, she didn't have to worry about anything.


	15. The Starving Artists of Pahkitew Island

For the first time since being transferred to the other team, Sammy actually woke up _normally_.

The sun glared into her unopened eyes and elicited a grouchy growl from her. She had slept… relatively peacefully throughout the night, despite all that had transpired, though she did wake up once or twice covered in sweat. No nightmares to be had, thankfully, but the thought of the island randomly exploding refused to let her get any real rest. Luckily, she passed right back out soon after waking up, so when she woke up again for the last time, she wasn't as tired as she expected to be.

Her dirty uniform had been an effective sleeping mask, but at some point it had vanished from her face, and now the brunt of the sun was shining through the window and square into her eyes. Groggily she opened them, unsure what time of day it was. It was likely late afternoon, given that the sun was level with the window and not higher in the sky. _The challenge is going to be soon, right? I should probably get up now._

But the bed was so _comfy_. Or at least, it was compared to what she'd been using before now. The opportunities to just rest nowadays were few and far between, and she doubted anyone would care if she rested for just a _bit_ longer. Just enough to makeup for the time she lost trying to sleep on the hard ground for the last week and a half.

Sammy felt herself slowly dozing back off, and was content to let it happen, but the sounds of footsteps on the wood flooring kept her from falling completely. And in the haze of half-unconsciousness, Sammy realized the steps weren't making the sound of loafers, or clunky hiking boots - instead it was the sharp clicks of heels. _And there's only one other person here besides me who wears them._

"You're _still_ in bed?" Amy asked, not bothering to keep her voice down. "Even on a crazy robot island, you're just as lazy as ever."

"Gimme a break," she said in a daze, her eyes still closed. "After last night, I deserve all the sleep I can get."

Amy sighed, walked into the room, and placed something on the bed. "Here. Eat."

Turning over, Sammy spied a basket full of freshly picked fruit. Her stomach growled greedily - it had been several hours since she last ate, and _that_ particular meal caused her food poisoning and memory loss. Figuring she was awake for good now, Sammy sat up, stretched, and started to tear into the basket. "Thanks," she said between bites.

"Yeah…" Amy said slowly. "You're welcome."

"Did you get this yourself?"

She opened her mouth, closed it again, and restarted. "Jasmine did most of it. I just helped a little, that's all."

Unconsciously, Sammy paused mid-bite. _Stopping herself from claiming all the credit,_ and _saying she only helped a little? Wow, she's grown a lot in a few hours. I guess she really does want to change._

Amy looked back at her, and quirked her brow. "What are you smiling at?"

 _Ah, crap._ "Oh, nothing. Just surprised how good a person you can be when you actually try."

Her sister only grunted. "Whatever."

She stayed at the windowsill and observed the horizon as Sammy ate, and they lapsed into a weird, but comfortable silence. She was doing her best to not show it outwardly, but on the inside Sammy was elated - _this_ was the sort of stuff she'd been hoping from Amy all her life. Being able to stay in the same room as her and not have to put up her defences because of it. Having quiet moments like this, not necessarily talking, was probably the best they were going to get at the moment, however. _Baby steps_ , she reminded herself. _She needs time to learn first and foremost. But she'll get there._

Once Sammy had her fill, she set aside the basket and retrieved her top from the floor. When she put it on, she saw Amy once again looking at her. "I never really brought this up, but Coach won't be too happy when she sees your uniform," she said, motioning to her sister's bare arm.

Sammy could have slapped herself. She completely forgot to tell Amy the news. "Ooh. Uh, yeah. Actually, I gotta be honest, I'm sort of… planning on quitting cheer squad when we get back."

Amy stared at her for several seconds. "…Huh." Her mouth formed a thin line, and she took another moment to think that over. She nodded after a bit. "I, uh, guess that's fair."

Sammy was expecting her to have a fit, and was relieved that she didn't. "Yeah. It's… more your thing than mine."

A frown adorned her lips. "I…" She folded her arms and hunched over. "I guess."

Now it was Sammy's turn to stare. "What is it?"

Amy struggled with whatever it was, but in the end dropped it. "Nothing. Uh, hey, listen, I wanted to ask…" She looked even more uncomfortable for a second. "I don't really know the details, but does Ella… you know…" She held up her wrist and drew a few lines across it.

Sammy winced, but nodded slowly. It wasn't exactly that much of a secret anymore. "Yeah, unfortunately. That's why she was always wearing those gloves."

"And she lost a glove, so you gave her your shirt to cover it up."

"Yep." Sammy really wished she could forget that particular day. "Then I cut off the sleeve and gave it to her to keep. She's been wearing it ever since."

"I see." Amy squirmed on the windowsill. "I don't really know much about that stuff. Cutting, and… junk. I've never really thought about it before."

"Me too. At least, before now."

"Is it, like… difficult to talk to her about it?" Amy asked. "Like, real question."

"Uhm… Not really? We don't talk about it all _that_ much. The first time we really did was in the cave that one time, but it wasn't all that bad. Ella did most of the talking about it, anyway." She frowned once more, deeper than before. "Then again, there was the day after that, where we… had a bit of a scare."

Amy stopped to recall that. "Uhh… Oh, right. The day after we swapped teams."

"Yeah… In the end nothing happened, but at the time I was pretty terrified."

"I bet."

"It's… good for her to not focus too much on it, since the more she thinks about it the more of an urge she might get to do it. But at some point I think we'll have to address it properly."

"That makes sense. What, uh, caused her to start doing it, anyway?"

Sammy, slightly caught off guard, slowly shook her head. "That's… something I'm not gonna talk about."

"Why not?" Amy asked, raising a brow. "You talked about all the other stuff."

Sammy gave her a look. "Yeah, _that_ stuff is okay, to an extent. But her reasons are _personal_. I'm not gonna spill her secrets because someone asked."

Amy paused. Whatever thoughts were going through her mind, ended up not mattering as she soon relented. "Oh, uh… Right. You're right. Sorry."

Sammy merely hummed and nodded. It wasn't fair that Amy expected her to share _all_ of Ella's secrets, but at least she backed down from it without a fight. She wasn't sure if Amy had a reason for prying into it, or if it was just the leftovers of how she used to operate before last night. _Or… this morning. Or something._

But whatever the reason, she wouldn't get anything out of Sammy. Ella had told her her past in confidence when they were alone - _As alone as we can be when we're surrounded by millions of cameras, at least_ \- and Sammy intended to keep that close to her chest, or at least until the season aired. She'd learned to keep as many secrets as possible from Amy growing up. Now that she knew something particularly private about her closest friend (and possibly girlfriend, maybe, hopefully), she wasn't about to betray that trust.

"Where is Ella, anyway?" Sammy asked, changing the topic. "And Sky and Jasmine, for that matter? Oh, and, what time is it?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Dunno, out running, down near the river, and like, 3:30? Jasmine thinks we're gonna get called soon."

"Then I'd better go to the confessional while I can," Sammy said. She grabbed and put on her skirt and boots, and exited the room. "And… thanks again. That was a good breakfast."

Another half smile. "Yeah. Sure."

Sammy smiled back, and left her alone. She hoped that soon, those smiles would become larger and much more natural.

* * *

Pahkitew Island was one of the most beautiful places Sammy had ever been to (though that wasn't really saying much since she barely went anywhere fancy). It was a perfect representation of what a deserted, hospitable island would look like. Now that she knew everything here had been built from the ground up, this wasn't all that surprising.

What _was_ surprising was how… _empty_ everything suddenly felt now. Before, while there were rarely any animals about, she could at least hear the sounds of birds in the distance or the shuffling of tree leaves (both most likely coming from hidden speakers). Now, not even the wind was there. She recalled Chris mentioning last night - _this morning, whatever_ \- that the island was on shutdown mode, though what that exactly entailed she wasn't sure. Did that mean _everything_ was turned off?

Sammy came across a tree with a hole in it, where squirrels would probably store their food, only to find it devoid of all life. It seemed that everything on the island was controlled in the bunker: all of the animals, the various TVs just hanging from trees, the cameras without any crew operating them…

 _You know, I bet that storm that showed up when we were on the zeppelin was made by the island too. What sort of crazy technology is able to suddenly make_ lightning _appear out of the sky and_ only _in a single, localized spot? And seriously, how much money did they spend on everything?_

Now though, everything felt quiet and lifeless. Was it because she _knew_ it was all fake? Or was it something else entirely?

She didn't have much time to ponder it, as being lost in her thoughts made her run right into Sky. Literally.

The two bounced off each other and fell onto the ground. Sammy, dazed and confused, wasn't as quick to recover as Sky was. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, swiftly found her feet and helped Sammy to hers. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

"No, not at all," Sammy reassured. "I was just lost in thought, that's all. Are _you_ okay? You sorta smacked into me at hyper speed."

Sky laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I kinda lose focus when I'm in the zone. Plus, all the stuff from last night has been on my mind…"

"I know exactly what you mean," Sammy replied with a bitter laugh. The countdown, the robots, the Chrises, _Scarlett_ … everything flashed before her eyes in a second, and she tried to shake them away. "It's, uh… It's a lot to process, isn't it?"

With a sigh, Sky said, "We almost died. Like, seriously _died_. I think my mind is only now starting to realize that. If we were _any_ later getting into the control room, we could've actually been blown up with the island…"

"Yeah… And the fact that Scarlett was willing to just let it happen? _Totally_ messed up." _First thing I'm doing when I get home is finding a good therapist. I wonder how many in the world have had clients with experiences like mine?_

"You can say that again." Her eyes went out of focus, like she was watching something in her memories. "And all those killer robot animals, with their skin and fur peeling off and bits of metal sticking out… I know this show is dangerous, but I did _not_ sign up to have to do something like that."

"Gosh," Sammy said quietly. "We really only had to deal with a fire-breathing cat before we joined up with you guys. Sounds like you had it worse than we did."

"We had to deal with a bear, a crocodile, and a _deer_. It was the worst."

"A… deer? That doesn't sound-"

"You might say that, but it still kept coming for us even after we sliced its head off."

" _Okay_ that's straight up nightmare fuel."

"Mm-hm," Sky mumbled. She rubbed at her eyes with her hand. "I barely slept last night."

Sammy nodded sympathetically. " _That's_ relatable. A lot of the crap they're making us do here is really screwing up my sleep schedule."

Her friend gave her a look over, at her tattered and messy uniform, at the way her hair probably glistened from the grease that she wasn't able to properly wash out, to the severe lack of makeup on her face after being dunked in and splashed with water one too many times. Sammy was just about to start feeling self-conscious when Sky spoke up again. "Hey, Sammy?"

"What is it?"

Sky hesitated on replying, and with a sigh said, "This show is… dangerous, to say the least."

"The _very_ least."

"And at the same time… a million dollars is a _lot_ of money."

"It's _definitely_ a lot of money. But, uh, I'm not sure where this is going."

"I'm just… wondering," Sky looked at her with a pained expression. "Do you think… it's even worth it anymore?"

Sammy blinked. Sky was someone who took this competition seriously - maybe the one who took it the _most_ seriously, even more than Jasmine or Shawn. She challenged herself every day to do better than her best, and had aspirations for the Olympics of all things - there were so many people who dreamed of it and only so few of them that made it, but Sky seemed like someone who would actually be able to pull it off. If she was dreaming that big about the Olympics, she was likely dreaming that big about Total Drama as well. So to have her ask that, with such an anguished look in her eye, really said a lot about what she was thinking.

With a sigh, Sammy rubbed the back of her neck. "You know, I've been wondering that too. I _know_ a million dollars is a lot of money, but like…" She raised her hand and started listing. "Skydiving with the chance of not having parachutes. Having shock collars put on us without them being tested beforehand. Getting kidnapped and chased by bears, and deer, and all sorts of other freaky robot animals. Getting lost in an underground network of caves and nearly squashed underneath those falling boulders. Being forced to tiptoe through a lion-infested area, with actual honest to goodness _babies_ in our hands - unless they were all robots too, I don't actually know. Getting _crushed_ under a mountain of snow. Getting _food-poisoning_ , which probably could've led to something even worse if it wasn't pumped out of our stomachs. And then to top off literally _everything else_ , we almost have the island self-destruct on us and kill us in one swift blow. So honestly? At this point, no, I don't think the million is worth it, if our lives and well-being are _constantly_ on the line."

Sky was nodding along with everything Sammy was saying, the look of uneasiness in her eyes continuing to get worse. "I completely agree with you. But… as much as I don't like it, I think we're too far in to back out now."

"You do?" Sammy asked with a tilt of her head.

"Well… It's complicated." Sky wiped some lingering sweat off her brow, and started walking in a circle around Sammy. "Basically everything we've done up to this point has been dangerous and terrible, and what we'll have to do next is likely going to be _more_. But there are only _four_ challenges left to get through, counting the finale… We're so close to the end I can almost _taste_ it! All the other competitive sports I've been a part of and… well, you know, _won_ , only gave out trophies and medals as rewards. Sure, those were nice, but I'll be honest, a million dollars sounds a lot more appealing to me." She stopped when she had done a couple of full loops around her. "Or at least, I thought it did. Now I'm not so sure."

"And you're trying to figure out if risking our necks every day for two weeks straight is worth it."

"Pretty much, yeah. I don't know what to think. I know I want to _win_ after coming so far, but if you had told me all of the crap we'd have to put up with before I auditioned, I would've said no to it all without a second thought."

"That… sounds like a smart thing to do, if you were warned beforehand. I'm probably in the same boat, for the most part."

Sky quirked a brow her way. "'For the most part'?"

"Well, yeah. I guess…"

At this point, it wasn't just about the money. The money was honestly third on her priority list before coming here, the first being to get away from Amy and the second to try and make friends. Those priorities ended up shifting around in the last few days, and now involved sticking with Ella as far as she could and helping Amy try to be a better person. When it came to the money, though, that just went further down the line. Winning would be nice, but it wasn't the main reason she came on the show. Besides, Mom had a good job and Sammy was receiving a pretty good allowance (and with Amy no longer stealing from her, it was all hers' now). If she ended up winning Total Drama, great, wonderful, she'd be richer for it. Truth be told, it didn't really make her feel all that more motivated to keep going.

_But Ella…_

An apartment where the walls are thin enough to hear the neighbors' whispers… The desire to own an entirely new wardrobe… Maybe even a chance to get away from her parents and school for a while longer… It was sounding as if Ella needed the money _far_ more than Sammy did. Besides, since they were planning on splitting the cash, staying in the game meant a higher chance that one of them could win.

Not only that, but most of Sammy's top priority goals had been accomplished by this point. And Amy could be monitored at home, away from this stupid island. So really, the answer was simple.

"The reason I'm still here is because of Ella," she said plainly. "I really, _really_ like her. I know it hasn't been all that long, but I know I have a lot of good feelings for her, and they're crazy strong."

Sky giggled behind a hand. "I'm pretty sure that's the least surprising reason you could've given me."

Sammy's own laugh was awkward, as she was berating herself for being far too obvious. "A-Anyways… Risking our lives for some cash is kinda… stupid, when you think about it. But risking your life for someone you like… To help _them_ win? It's… still kinda stupid. But I mean, if they can be better off because of it then I'm willing to try and help them as much as I can. Does, uh, that make any sense?"

"Yeah, it does." Sky replied. "That said, even if I may not like the direction this show has gone in, I _am_ still gonna try and win for myself." She smirked. "So maybe I'm stupid."

Sammy's face blanched and her stomach dropped. "Ah, no no no! I didn't mean it like that! I mean, uh, you know-"

Despite her laughter, Sky held up her hands to placate her. "I'm just joking! Take it easy Sammy," she insisted. "You _are_ right in saying it's ridiculous. But I've come too far to quit, dangerous or not. I don't like it, I _really_ don't, but my head keeps telling me it's gotta be done. Besides, we made it through everything mostly unscathed, right?"

Sammy moaned, and looked away with a frown.

Sky grimaced. "Uh… maybe don't answer that. The point is, they've already peaked at trying to blow up the island. While they could throw some curveballs at us, I think we're all able to overcome them if we managed to get past _that_."

She shrugged. "I guess you're right. I think at this point I do just want to be done with it all, but I'm sticking around for Ella, so I'll try and tackle anything they make us do."

Sky smiled at her warmly. "You guys are so cute together, you know that?"

Sammy found herself blushing. "I-I guess so! I mean, we're still not ' _together'_ together yet. We haven't had the time to talk about it. But she's so nice and kind and _special_ and I just wanna be there for her, you know?"

"And that's why you two are meant for one another," she replied matter-of-factly. "Though you _did_ kinda botch the confession part, but given what was happening at the time, I guess it was fine."

Sammy frowned at that. "Wait, I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm just saying, I know there wasn't a teacher around, but you could've passed the note to me and Jasmine could've taken it and read it, so it could've worked… Oh! And the robot Chrises would've been the other students! Ahh! It could've been perfect! If, you know, our lives weren't on the lines."

Sammy stared, quietly trying to work out what Sky was saying. "Um… Yeah, sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."

Then Sky was staring at _her_. "Your love confession?"

"Um. Okay, yeah, I got _that_ part, but what's this about a teacher and other students?"

The athlete gasped and covered her mouth. "You don't _know_ how to properly tell someone how you feel about them? Seriously?"

Now Sammy was even more confused. "I'm pretty sure I did it last night…?"

"No no no!" Suddenly Sky was right in her face, forcing her back a little. "The _right_ way to confess to someone is to write a note to them in the middle of class, asking if they like you back. Then you give it to your friend so that _they_ can give it to your crush. But then the teacher has to catch everyone in the act, take the note, and then read it out to the _whole_ class! Then you find your crush in the hall during lunch and ask for their answer! _Everyone_ knows this!"

"Uhh…" Sammy was taken aback both by how contrived that sort of confession would have to be, and also by how _important_ this seemed to be for Sky. She _really_ wasn't sure what to make of that. "I don't think that's how they do it in _my_ school…"

Now _Sky_ looked absolutely confused. "They don't… _What?_ "

Sammy held up her hands. "Okay, obviously we have _very_ different ideas about how confessing to someone should happen. The point is, I told Ella I like her, we're kinda-sorta dating now, probably, and she's my motivation for staying here on this broken island."

Sky still seemed befuddled, but didn't put up a fuss. "Right, uh… Right."

"And, hey, if you want to try that on someone yourself, don't let me stop you." Sammy then headed off in the direction she was already headed. "Anyway, I _really_ need to use the confessional. I'll see you at the challenge?"

"Uh… Yeah, sure. See you."

Sky seemed lost in thought, but Sammy was beginning to get a little desperate for the bathroom. _Well._ _That was weird. Who wants their crush for someone to be announced to their entire class like that? If that ever happened to me I'd_ -

She passed a camera as she jogged and slowed to a stop, staring at it.

… _Dang it._

* * *

Sammy found the outhouse with almost no problem, and she finished her business and recorded her confessional before too much time passed. Unfortunately, the second she walked back into fresh air Chris called them all to that familiar clearing in the woods. Sammy sighed and headed in the direction she knew it to be. She had _wanted_ to take a moment and have a much-needed talk with Ella, but clearly that wasn't happening now. _I doubt we'll have time during the challenge, so… tonight or tomorrow, then._

After one uneventful walk, the clearing came into view, and Chris, Chef, Sky and Jasmine were already waiting. Jasmine tipped her hat to her in greeting, and Sammy waved back, and it was only then that she noticed the giant tarp behind them, covering… _something_ up. It wasn't cannon-shaped, that was obvious, but she wasn't able to make out what it was from this angle.

Amy came in shortly after Sammy arrived, and soon after her was Ella, who had one of the brightest grins Sammy had ever seen on her face. They waved and Sammy felt something warm and bubbly rise in her chest, which normally would give her cause for alarm but she _knew_ this was a good feeling. She was about to dive right into conversation with her, but Chris cut to the chase the moment she arrived. "Afternoon everyone!" he greeted them when they were all there. It was like he had forgotten what had happened last night entirely. "Hope you all got enough sleep!"

"Kinda hard to do that when you can't turn off the sun," Jasmine replied.

"I know. We _would've_ done exactly that, but the island's been almost completely turned off, so no artificial cloud covering." Glaring off to the side, he added, "No thanks to _someone_ who will henceforth remain nameless on this show."

Unable to keep to herself, Amy piped up, a devious smirk on her face. "What was her name again…? Crimson? Violet?" She turned to her sister. " _Something_ like that, wasn't it?"

Normally, Sammy wouldn't approve of that sort of mocking behavior. But since this was _Chris_ who was on the receiving end… "Yeah, it had something to do with a color, right?"

Amy gave her a mischievous grin. "It did, didn't it?"

"You two be quiet," Chris commanded in annoyance. "Unless you want today's challenge to _actually_ be a challenge."

That shut the sisters up, and prompted everyone to cast confused glances at each other. "What do you mean ' _actually_ a challenge'?" Sky asked the question everyone had on their minds.

With a huff, Chris explained. "Yeah, see, legal called - _again_ \- and they weren't too thrilled about the whole 'self-destruct sequence blowing up the whole island' thing from last night, so they're making some… _restrictions_ for this challenge in particular."

Despite that being a cause for celebration, no one was celebrating. "Alright, what's the catch then?" Jasmine asked. "There's always a catch when it comes to the 'easy' challenges."

Chris donned a look similar to that of nausea. "The catch is that, unlike before, we're only going to _simulate_ the danger."

That still didn't really answer anyone's question. "What does _that_ mean?" Ella asked.

"It means," Chris said testily, "that there won't be any danger in this challenge at all. It's just going to _look_ like there is."

That got the final five to start murmuring to themselves. If the legal team was forcing the hosts to make the challenge _not_ dangerous, then the hosts would likely see it as causing their precious ratings to go down. So the only way to work around that would to make it _seem_ like there was danger here, while allowing the kids to stay safe. That was a pretty smart work around to it, but all the same Sammy still didn't really trust it.

"How do we know this won't end up being another trap?" she asked warily. "You could just be telling us the danger will be staged, and put us through hell on earth all over again!"

"Because he's been expressly forbidden _not_ to do that," said Chef Hatchet, who was standing over by the object hidden by the tarp. "Do you know how much he was whining because of it? I could barely even sleep 'cuz'a him!"

He pointed to the bags under his eyes to prove it, causing the girls to recoil and shudder, but Chris shushed him from speaking further. "C'mon, when have I ever given you guys reason not to trust me?" he asked the teens innocently.

Every single one of the contestants, as well as Chef and the interns out of the camera's shot, gave him the stink eye.

Noticing this, Chris scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Figured that wouldn't work. I guess you just won't be able to trust me then, because we're doing this whether you want to or not."

"I guess there's really nothing we can do about it then," Sky said evenly, to which the rest of the girls nodded. "So? What's the challenge?"

His plastic smile came back in full force. "I'm glad you asked. For today's challenge, you all will be… painting a picture!"

This lone statement confused the girls, but they had no time to process it as Chef threw off the tarp. Underneath it sat a circular structure that, from this angle, looked to be divided into five sections, each one separated from the one next to it by high walls. In each of these sections was a typical artist's easel, stool, supply of paints and a palette for them to use. But what caught Sammy's eye more than the supplies was the fact that each section had a different kind of wallpaper on the walls - one was a deep green with what looked like leaves painted on it, along with a yellow bed; another one had blue wooden walls, a bed, a lamp, posters and trophies and, oddly enough, a cute little dreamcatcher hanging right in front of the window; and the last one she was able to see from this angle was a bright orange room with pink highlights, a fancy-looking bed, several stuffed animals and a vanity to the far left.

It didn't take long for the others to pipe up. "Hey, wait, that looks like my room!" Sky announced, pointing to the blue one.

"And mine too," Ella said, staring at the one with the stuffed animals.

"I think they're _all_ like our rooms," Jasmine said. She turned to Chris. "What gives?"

"We figured, in order to help ease you into today's challenge, we'd offer you guys the opportunity to work in an environment familiar to you," Chris said. "Each segment has been painstakingly recreated based on the rooms you were in during your audition videos. We wanted to give you a nice, homey feel to take the strain off of you from having stayed on this island for so long."

Amy snorted dismissively, and walked around to the other side of the structure. "Is that before or after you decide to push us down a mountain while we work?"

Chris ignored her. "You all will have an hour to create something meaningful to the best of your ability. You will be judged on creativity, colors used, and being able to stay inside the line. Any questions?"

"So it can be _anything_?" Sky asked.

"As long as it has something to do with the show, yeah, everything's fair game."

"Who's going to judge us?" Sammy asked, trying to find her room.

Chris grinned. "Me, of course!"

Sammy lightly groaned. "Yeah, probably didn't need to ask that."

"The person whose painting I feel the most emotion from gets an advantage in part two of the challenge," he continued. "More on that when we're done here."

"And what exactly is the danger in this challenge that you're making us _not_ go through?" Jasmine asked him.

Chris chuckled, which was never a good sign. "You'll see it when we're ready to show you."

Sammy began to look for her room, and when she found it she was surprised to see that it was right next to both Ella's _and_ Amy's. Her queen-sized bed was adorned with textbooks and her headphones, and she did everything in her power to ignore all of the second place medals and trophies littered around. Despite that, and the fact that it was all just painted on the walls, it was an _immense_ relief to be able to stay in familiar territory again.

"Hey, hold on! This isn't my room!" Amy's outburst caused Sammy to look over at the segment next door, and a quick inspection proved that it was in fact their house's guest room. There were tons of suitcases and other assorted luggage piled up in the very center, and aside from that and a picture on the wall there wasn't anything that stood out from it.

"I told you we used the room you were in during your audition tapes," Chris called from the other side of the structure. "We were just using what we had to work with!"

Amy growled, but said nothing more and entered her section.

"That sucks," Sammy told her, unable to come up with anything else.

She sighed and sat on the stool. "Whatever. At least it's home."

"True enough."

Sammy then walked to the segment on the other side and examined Ella's 'room' - it was just as comforting to be in as she expected. The colors made her feel more at ease than ever, and the adorable plush animals littering the bed and floor warmed her heart.

Something else that warmed her heart was seeing Ella admiring the work that went into it. She was examining a toy pig sitting on the vanity, brushing her fingers against the wall fondly. It was obvious that Ella missed home as much as Sammy did.

"So this is your room?" she asked, stepping in just a little ways.

Ella grinned at her, making Sammy's own grin widen. "It's what my room _looks_ like, at least. It's a very nice reminder to be given." She gave a brief sigh of contentedness. "We're lucky the legal team is looking out for us this time. Who knows, we may actually get a _meal_ this evening!"

"Ah, man, don't get my hopes up," Sammy replied with a laugh. "One of the things I've been wanting most is food that isn't fruit or dunked in grease. When I get home, I'm ordering the biggest steak I can get at the restaurant near my place. I've been craving it for _days_."

"Yeah?" Ella strode up to her. "I'm not the biggest fan of meat, but there _is_ a nice sushi place downtown that I've been interested in trying…"

 _Oh oh wait, idea!_ "H-Hey, if we do decide to meet up once all this is over with, would you maybe… um, like to…"

"Yes," she interrupted, "Yes I'd _love_ to."

Sammy couldn't hide the grin on her face, though she did her best to hide her squeal of joy. It didn't really work. _First time asking a girl on a date and she says_ yes _! This is, without a doubt, the best day ever._

"Alright, to your places, people!" Chris called out, and with a wave goodbye Sammy re-entered her room. "There shall be no talking during the challenge, as you all should focus on working. If you have any questions, please be informed that I will _not_ be answering any of them."

Sammy sat down on her stool and examined the tubes of paint provided. All the colors of the rainbow and more were available, and the palette was large enough that she could reasonably get all of them on there and have enough room left over for mixing if need be. All she needed was something that she could paint… something that happened on the island, that meant more to her than anything else.

_Psh. As if I need to think about that._

"Also! As mentioned, your time limit will be one hour." A whirring sound started up, and Sammy looked behind the easel to see something rising out of the floor. "You will be able to keep check of the time from these handy little _bombs_ we've put in your rooms!"

She inhaled sharply, but had to remind herself that these were (most likely, probably) fake. That said, a bomb this soon after the last challenge was in pretty bad taste… At the absolute _very_ least, she could see how much time she had left.

"And _begin!_ " Chris called out before anyone could complain. Not wanting to waste any time, Sammy got to work on mixing red and white together…

* * *

In the end, her painting _sucked_. She had started with the background, but she somehow mucked it up and made painting the foreground much more difficult. When she had asked for a do-over, Chris refused and forced her to keep what she had. What was more, she wasn't all that familiar with color mixing, and messed up even more when attempting to find a good peach for their skin (and she couldn't use the pink she already had used or else it would just look _weird_ and likely not okay for TV). She had to settle for an off-color dark yellow, which got muddled even more when trying to paint on top of the background. All in all, it was a complete disaster, and whatever advantage she could have gotten was absolutely off the table now.

One by one everyone finished their paintings before the timers finished their countdown, with Sammy being the last one done. None of them were able to find out if the bombs were duds or not, but it wasn't like she _wanted_ to know that information.

The five contestants lined up in a row, starting with Jasmine on the far end, followed by Sky, Ella, Sammy herself and Amy at the other end. Each individual painting had been covered by a cloth, and Chris walked up to them starting with Jasmine.

"I call it," she said as she threw off the cover. "'An Explosive Adventure'."

What she revealed could hardly be called better than Sammy's, and that was putting it nicely. The general idea was apparent - Jasmine herself standing on top of a cliff and examining her surroundings, which were likely meant to represent Pahkitew Island - but the painting itself looked as though it were made by a child using finger paints, and the Jasmine on it was nothing more than a stick figure in a hat.

"I, uh," Jasmine stammered at Chris's scrutinizing stare. "I've never actually taken the time to draw or paint anything before, so…"

"Hmm…" The host appraised it carefully, muttering to himself all the while and just low enough that Sammy couldn't hear it. He was likely just doing it to make Jasmine sweat, and it was working - in fact, Sammy was starting to get nervous as well.

"This piece…" Chris started, rubbing his five-o'clock shadow in thought, "really stinks."

Jasmine sighed. "I figured as much, but you don't have to rub it in."

"No, no, I really think I have to," he insisted, to her surprise. "Like… did a dog paint this? No, actually, it would be better than this if one did."

"Oh for the love of-" Jasmine grumbled. "Enough with the stalling, just tell me if I win or not!"

Chris looked her dead in the eyes. "What do _you_ think?" She just groaned and ran a hand down her face. "Next!"

Sky was up then, and she didn't look any more confident than Jasmine was. "To be fair, I've been focusing more on my athletic abilities than my artistic ones."

"Don't care, brah," he said dismissively, and threw her painting's cover off himself. Sky's painting was perhaps the best one so far, but that really wasn't saying much. She had put herself on the first place spot on a podium, trophies in each hand and medals around her neck, and a toothy grin on her face. Behind her was a crowd that looked vaguely like the rest of them, cheering and clapping for her.

"I may have gone overboard with the awards," Sky said sheepishly. "But, um, I call this… 'The Victor'. I guess."

"You guess?"

"I didn't know we were supposed to name them."

Chris grunted and looked at the painting once more. "I can see emotion in it, but it's just not _calling_ to me, you know? Like it's missing something…"

"It's _literally_ about winning," Sky said. "Isn't that something that speaks to you?"

"It does, but only when _I'm_ the one winning. You guys have to know that I don't at all care for you, right?" Sky folded her arms and looked at him pointedly. "Next!"

Ella released a quick breath, and Sammy lightly jabbed her with her elbow. "You got this," she whispered. "You're the most talented person I know."

With a soft smile, she replied, "Singing and painting are two completely different fields. But thank you." Chris approached her and waited with an uninterested gaze. "Allow me to introduce my work for you." With a flourish, Ella threw off the cover and presented her painting as if it was in an actual art gallery. "I give you, 'A Song of Love from Darkness to Light'."

If there were any lingering doubts that Ella didn't like Sammy the same way she liked her, the painting she made chased them all away. It was a simple image - Ella and Sammy dancing and singing with one another, music notes flying away from their mouths, and nothing else besides them in a spotlight. It made Sammy feel so many positive emotions, she was having a tough time keeping them in. _Now I kinda feel self conscious about my own work. It's not nearly as good as this._

That said, it was only passably better than the others' paintings, though it still wasn't all that good. Ella was right when she said that singing and painting aren't the same, but if anything, she probably had the best shot at winning the advantage.

Although Chris didn't seem to think so. "It's a weird mix between bland, sappy, and cute. And that does not make me feel good things."

"But you _are_ feeling things, right?" Ella asked. "And you didn't specify _what_ emotion you had to feel the most of."

Chris gave her a flat look. "I don't appreciate having my words twisted like that. There's no fun or enjoyment in it. It's only good when I twist them myself, or I twist _yours_."

An awkward look appeared on Ella's face. "We're still talking about words, right?"

" _Next!_ "

Sammy had the pit of anxiety in her stomach since the beginning of the challenge, but now it was heavily amplified. _This feels like presenting a project in class…_ Hidden behind the back of the painting, Ella gave her hand a squeeze for comfort. Like the many times she had done so, it was sorely needed.

"Um," Sammy stammered. "So. This is my painting." She gently tugged off the covering and allowed the others to see it. "It's called, 'The Light of My Teenage Life'. It's not very good but I put a lot of effort into it and-"

"You're right, it's _not_ good," Chris interrupted, causing Sammy to moan in misery. "Did you just randomly pick what colors to use? Because by the looks of it, you were blindfolded during that part."

"Do you _have_ to do this?" Sammy desperately asked him.

"As a matter of fact, yes!" he replied with a nod. "I've gotta make your time here as miserable as possible. And with no real danger involved in this challenge…"

"Alright, alright! I get it."

"Besides, you're clearly ripping off Ella's work, title and all."

"What?! But we didn't even see each other the whole time we were working, how could we possibly-"

"Don't care! Next!"

Sammy gave him the best glare she could muster, but sighed in defeat when he paid no attention to it. She had put a _lot_ of effort into the painting, even if it did turn out like crap, and to have it just glossed over like that was pretty demoralizing.

" _I_ like it." But leave it to Ella to give her the boost that she needed. "Don't listen to him. You did a good job and it _really_ means a lot to me that you painted us."

"Yours means a lot to me too!" she quickly told her. "It's a lot better than _mine_ …"

And that was objectively true. While Ella focused on the two of them entirely, Sammy tried to do a bit too much with hers. She had herself and Ella front and center, holding hands, and looking at each other with smiles as bright as the sun. The background consisted of green fields, a bright blue sky peppered with clouds, and trees and mountains dotting the landscape. It was all a bit too busy, and didn't focus enough on the main part of the painting. Plus, the offbeat colors did it no favors.

"Hey now," she said admonishingly. "While it's probably not going to be the next Mona Lisa, I still think you did a wonderful job."

Sammy's mind told her she was just saying that out of pity, but she quickly told herself off and thought more positively. "Thanks," Sammy said earnestly.

"Quit yammering," Chris said in a groan, causing the two to quiet down. "We have one painting left. Amy, if you would?"

Amy was beginning to look nervous herself, but was hiding it much better than Sammy was. "'Mkay." She took off the covering without much elegance or grace, and presented her piece. "It's called 'Chris is Still Kinda Really Really Hot'."

Literally everyone made noises of repulsion and immediately leaned over to look at it, as if trying to find out if she was being serious or not. But no, it was just as she said - the painting Amy created was _Chris_. And not just any Chris, it was him in his Pharaoh costume during the first challenge of the third season. Plus, he seemed to be much more muscular than normal, with larger biceps and a wider chest. It still looked like crud, and was probably the worst painting done by any of them so far, but it was clear as day what she was going for. The only question was-

" _Why?_ " Sammy asked aloud in utter disbelief.

"Why not?" Amy countered. "Besides, it's not your turn, so shush."

"Yeah Samey, shut up a second," Chris chided, his eyes glued to the painting. "Because, wow, this painting sucks, but I _like_ it, you know?"

"Uhh… thanks?" Amy asked tensely.

"You can _not_ be serious," Sky groaned.

"Hey, appealing to my vanity is a viable tactic. Amy had the right idea." Chris paused. "Shockingly."

She gaped at him and put a hand to her chest in shock. "Ex _cuse_ me?"

"That's not to say that the painting's good, because _wow_ , it absolutely _sucks_. But it does put a touch of feeling in this cold, dead heart of mine." He eyed the painting once more. "Especially considering you beefed me up. That's the sorta stuff I like."

At the far end of the line, Jasmine faked gagging. Sammy meanwhile felt she was _actually_ going to start gagging.

"Sooo… Do I get the advantage or what?" Amy asked impatiently, yet with a touch of hope in her voice.

Chris took one last glance at the four paintings that came before, and merely shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Whatevs."

" _YYYES!_ " With a holler she leapt in the air and pumped her fists, startling Sammy and forcing her to lean back. "Finally I get something!" Then, with a look in her eye that reminded Sammy all too much of days past, Amy pointed at the four of them and laughed. " _Ha!_ In your faces, you asswipes! I win! I finally win! I beat you all and I-" She came to a screeching halt as her eyes went wide with fear and her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh shit! Shit, shit, _shit_ , I'm sorry! I didn't- I didn't mean any of that! That just came out without any warning and I couldn't stop it! I'm sorry!"

Sammy frowned, but kept her thoughts to herself. This was something that she had been afraid might happen. Thinking about it, it was actually pretty similar to how she herself was growing and changing - her mind would continue to act on its own as if nothing was happening, and it was only _after_ negative words or thoughts automatically occurred did she realize what was being said or thought. Even though she knew not to belittle herself, internally or externally, sometimes it still happened, and she was working to fix that. And Amy just proved that it was happening to her too.

 _Then again, catching onto it so quickly is probably a_ good _thing, really._

And while, yes, Amy going back to her old self for even a few moments irked Sammy deep down, she knew she was trying. If things failed to improve over the course of a few months she'd deal with it then, but for now she was just starting off and thus she needed more time. So more time Sammy will give her.

"It's okay," Sammy said reassuringly, yet stern enough for Amy to know it wasn't appreciated. "It was just a slip up, it happens to everyone. No real harm done."

The relief in Amy's eyes was immeasurable, and she let out a sigh of equal magnitude. "Okay," she said after a second. Nonetheless, she smiled a bit, and it wasn't the least bit malicious. In fact, it was somewhat bashful. "I still won though."

With a half smile herself, Sammy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I guess you did."

The others grumbled lightly, whether at the result of the challenge or having been called out Sammy wasn't sure, but no one put up a real fuss. Amy eyed the host with curiosity. "So what _is_ my advantage anyway?"

"Good question," he said, after having an intern cart off the paintings. "We're going to keep things simple - unfortunately. Meet me by the beach in 30 minutes. I'll explain everything then." Chef pulled up to him in a jeep, and the two of them drove off into the forest.

Ella decided to approach Amy and put a hand on her shoulder. Her sister visibly tensed, but eased up when she saw Ella's face. "For what it's worth, congrats," she told her.

"Oh, uh," Amy stammered. "Thanks?"

Jasmine came up then. "You don't _actually_ think Chris is hot, do you?"

Amy mimicked puking in response. "Oh my _gag!_ No way! Absolutely not! Never in a million years!"

"Well _that's_ a relief."

"Then what on earth made you draw him?" Sammy asked.

To that, Amy shrugged. "I just realized that Chris is selfish, and if he's the one judging then I should make something that appeals to _him_ , y'know?"

"And the thing that appeals to him most is himself," Sky observed. "That's actually a smart way to do it. Man, why didn't I think of that?"

Amy awkwardly rubbed her neck. "I mean… I know how to read people, to find out what makes them tick. It was kinda obvious what Chris might want." She let out a sigh. "Honestly it's probably the one thing I'm actually good at."

That pretty much spoke volumes on how she was able to manipulate Sammy growing up. Before she could say anything about that though, Jasmine said, "I don't know you well enough to say that it is, but you oughta put those skills to good use, yeah?" Her face lit up in a smile. "Like last night! Your cattiness was useful in getting Ella to stay in the game. If you use what you know for good, then that's better for you, right?"

Amy took a moment to mull over that. "You… really think so?"

"Sure," Jasmine said with a shrug. "Use your strengths to your advantage. Or, maybe in this case, _other people's_ advantages."

"I guess," Amy said, "but what sort of job lets me yell at people like that?"

They thought for a moment, and an idea came to Sammy. "Why not a lawyer? Like Mom? A tough lawyer who gets the info they need out of suspects and witnesses?"

"Or maybe a saleswoman?" Sky suggested, slapping a fist into an open palm. "I bet you'd have no trouble finding out what people are looking to buy, and then you could sell it to them along with other stuff they don't really need."

"That sounds kind of scummy," Ella noted, distaste in her voice.

Sky shrugged. "I guess, but it _is_ something."

Amy stared at them, but ended up bursting out laughing and covering her eyes as she did so. "Oh god," she said. "I can't believe we're having _this_ conversation right now. It's a bit early for me to be seriously thinking about this, but, uh, thanks I guess. I'll keep those suggestions in mind?"

"You don't have to commit to either, but sure," Sky said with a laugh of her own.

"Anyway, I think we should get going," Ella told them, beginning to walk in the direction Chris and Chef had left. "Before we give Chris another reason to hurt us again."

"Yeah, we really don't want that," Sammy said with a shudder, and the five of them left the area.

* * *

"Welcome to part two," announced the host when the five girls arrived. The beach was easy to find, thanks to the tire tracks the jeep left behind, but it didn't really look like there was much happening here. The only thing that stood out was a starting line set up not too far from them. "Now, you might be thinking, what does painting a portrait have to do with running a race? The answer is… nothing!"

"A race?" Sky asked, and pumped her fist in the air. "Finally, something suited for my skill set!"

"So it's… _just_ a race?" Jasmine asked. "Not like, a race to the end before the robots start chasing us again, or a race over super dangerous terrain or something?"

Chris shook his head. "Nah, not really. There are some hidden surprises in the sand, but just like before they won't hurt anyone." He grumbled, "Unfortunately."

"Huh," Sammy mused. "The island turning off must've hurt your challenges a lot, if we're just racing."

"Of course it did!" Chris folded his arms and pouted. "We had to dump all of our original plans, since everything we had designed made use of the tech we have here. Without the island functioning at full capacity, none of it will work properly, so we had to come up with challenges on the fly."

"If this was all last minute, why did we have such detailed painting areas?" Ella asked with a raised hand.

"Legal wanted comfort, I gave you comfort. Sadly, we may have lost a few interns along the way."

The girls gasped, but no one was louder than Ella. "You _what?!_ "

"Yeah, kinda sucky. Point of caution, paint fumes should _not_ be inhaled for lengthy periods of time."

Chef Hatchet rolled his eyes and shook his head. "He _means_ they just passed out from it, and are recovering in the infirmary. Stop tryin' to give these kids heart attacks, man!"

"What's the big deal?" he asked his assistant. "I gotta find my fun _somewhere_."

"Can we just get on with this?" Amy asked loudly. "What's my advantage, anyway?"

"Your advantage is…" He paused dramatically, but there was really no need. "A head start!"

He was met with silence from everyone. "That's it?" Amy asked. " _Seriously_?"

"It _was_ pretty anticlimactic," Sammy said.

"What were you expecting? The backpacks full of heavy rocks that we _could've_ used to slow everyone else down are locked away in a storage room we can't get at. This was the next best thing we could think of!"

Amy scoffed and folded her arms. "Wow. Talk about _lame_. That's so lame, it's almost as lame as Saaaaa…" She trailed off, briefly glanced at Sammy's pout, and tried to recover. "Uh. S-Something that's lame."

Sammy huffed, but kept to herself.

"Mm, right," Chris said with little interest. "Anyways. The goal for this one is to make it to the finish line on the other side of the island. Sounds simple, and it really is, aside from the few _non-lethal_ traps we have here." He cringed at that sentence. " _Man_ , that word is weird." He put his smile back on. "That said, there's gonna be a bit of a twist here."

"And there it is," Jasmine groaned.

"Keep your slouch hat on," Chris replied. "It doesn't have to do with the challenge. Rather, we're going to do something a little different with the elimination, now that we're in the home stretch. The first person to cross the finish line wins the traditional Pahkitew Island post-challenge dinner, and is not allowed to share with any of the other contestants. At the same time, the person who comes in last will _also_ be fed."

"What? They get food too?" Sky asked, a brow raised.

Chris grinned devilishly. "Not exactly. They'll be fed… to the cannon. _Without_ the need for voting."

Sammy breathed in sharply at the news, along with the others. _This is it. No more votes. Everything's based on performance now. Things are gonna get much more difficult from here on out. …Well, maybe not_ right this second _since there's no danger. But I have to absolutely_ not _come in last, for Ella's sake._

"Is this going to be like the bicycle challenge from season one?" Ella asked. "As in, the last person to cross the finish line loses, regardless of if there's anyone able to continue or not?"

"No, this isn't like that," Chris replied. "Although you have to admit, that was _pretty_ hilarious. Some of my best work, honestly."

"I liked you a _lot_ better back then," Sky replied.

"Yeah, I think we _all_ did," Amy agreed. "You were halfway decent, astoundingly."

Chris ignored them. "When the first person crosses the line, we'll issue a countdown timer - _not_ strapped to a bomb this time. The placement of each person along the beach when that timer finishes will determine who gets sent home. Farthest from the goal is the automatic loser. All clear?" No one had any other questions. "Alright! Amy, you get a 15 minute head start. As soon as that's done, everyone else can go! You ready?"

With a calming sigh, Amy removed her heels and tossed them aside. Her leg was still wrapped up in bandages, and while they looked clean they were rumpled and wrinkled after wearing them for so long. "Ready as I'll ever be," she said, and crouched down.

"On your mark… Get set…"

Chris blew his airhorn, and Amy took off.

…At a sprint.

"Aaaand she's sprinting," Sky stated when Amy was out of earshot. Her sister didn't let up in the slightest, even when she disappeared behind a cliff. "Yeah, she's already lost this."

"Welp, that makes it easier on us, doesn't it?" Jasmine asked.

"Shouldn't we tell her…?" Ella quietly asked.

"I think we're past the point of being able to say anything," Sammy replied.

"I suppose so."

"That said, she _did_ have the right idea with the boots." Sammy bent down to take hers off. "Running on sand in these would be a _nightmare_." She tossed hers near Amy's and started stretching along with Sky. She was in the middle of stretching out her back when Ella laughed lightly. "What're you laughing at?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing!" Ella quickly told her. "It's just… sometimes I forget we're roughly the same height only when you're in heels. And when you're _not_ …"

Sammy folded her arms and pouted up at her. "I'm not _that_ short. You're just a few inches taller than me, that's all."

With a grin that Sammy couldn't stay annoyed at, Ella wrapped her in a hug and quite deliberately placed her chin on Sammy's head. "And what a world of difference those few inches make."

Sammy groaned in embarrassment as Ella laughed further, but she didn't pull away from the hug.

The next few moments involved more stretching and idle chatter. At one point however, they heard an explosion and nearly screamed at the sound of it. Chris turned on the TV that was nearby and showed footage of Amy, covered in something that resembled soot, but was otherwise okay. She was standing several feet from what looked like the blast zone of whatever bomb just went off, and the sand around her was molded in a way that looked like she had been sent flying forward a little bit. "Jesus Christ," she was saying, patting herself down to make sure she wasn't missing any limbs. The signs of fatigue were evident in her voice. "I'm okay. That actually didn't hurt. Huh. Maybe McLean's telling the truth after all."

"Of course I am!" Chris shouted into a microphone, prompting Amy to look around her and find the speaker. "Now get back to it or you'll mess up your lead!" She didn't need to be told twice, and went right back to sprinting.

"So was that just like… a mini bomb or something?" Jasmine asked.

"Not sure, I don't make the props," Chris said. "Whatever it was, it's good enough to fake the danger, right?"

"I guess."

The group resumed waiting, and once the 15 minute mark was nearly up Chris signalled them all to get ready. "I trust I don't need to say anything else on the challenge?" Everybody shook their heads. "Alright. You're free to go in three… two… one… _WAIT!_ "

"What?!" Sammy screeched as Sky fell face first into the sand. "Why are we waiting?!"

Chris burst out laughing and pointed at the sand-covered Sky. "No reason!" he said between laughter. "Just wanted to see what would happen!" After a few more chuckles, he wiped away a tear. "Anyway, get going."

He blew the air horn with a pompous grin, and the four girls glared daggers at him as they started. "You're the _worst_ , McLean," Sky spat at him.

"That means so much, coming from you," he countered. Sky just growled and kept going.

They stuck together for as long as they could, but due to several factors - being naturally faster, Sammy wanting to slow down for Ella, and so on - Sky and Jasmine ended up pulling ahead of them sooner rather than later. "Sorry, mates, but the race is on!"

"Good luck you two!" Sky shouted back at them with a wave. "Try not to come in last, okay?"

"Uh, yeah! Thanks!" Sammy would have said 'You guys as well', but they were highly unlikely to come in anything but first and second. "See you at the end!" Once they were far enough ahead, Sammy said to Ella, "You know… they are _so_ working together now."

"They kind of have to, honestly," Ella replied. "Seeing as we're a team now, and… Um."

"No one really wants to pair with Amy," Sammy finished for her. "It's harsh, but also kind of true."

"Do you think we should let her join us instead?"

"Mm… probably not. I mean, I want to help her get over her issues, sure, but I don't really owe her anything other than that."

"I suppose that's fair. It's a shame though. The only person who would even consider teaming up with her was Scarlett."

"And that did _not_ end well, did it?" Sammy asked, a humorless laugh in her voice. "As weird as it is to say… I think the painting actually _did_ help me calm down a little bit from everything that happened last night, you know? Even if the end results were trash."

"Painting can be pretty therapeutic, you know," Ella said. "I should look into doing it more when we finish the show. I kind of had fun!" She frowned. "Minus the bomb. That wasn't fun."

"Yeahh, I really could've done without the bomb, all things considered. Though I guess I should be thankful nothing happened, especially considering how awful the next few days are likely going to be."

"Mm, well, that may be true… But we should focus on the positives! We actually get to relax for once, and we don't have to worry about getting hurt-"

The second Sammy put her foot down to take the next step, a bear trap closed itself on her leg. Both Sammy and Ella screamed to the high heavens, for perhaps several seconds longer than necessary, but Sammy quickly stopped when no pain made itself known. "…Wait," she said to Ella, getting her to stop as well. She pointed to the trap's teeth, which while uncomfortable did not penetrate her skin and were just sort of sitting there. "It's… It's a fake."

As Sammy went to pry the thing off, Ella let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Good _lord_ , that gave me the fright of a lifetime. You sure you're okay?"

The bear trap was easy to open up, and Sammy stepped out of it like nothing even happened. "Oh yeah, I'm just fine. Let's keep going."

"Okay…"

They did so, and they resumed their conversation. "So… after like… uh, how many days have we been here, exactly?"

"Umm…" Ella, still shaken, took a breath and began counting on her fingers. "This is our… ninth day here, isn't it?"

"Really? It feels like more."

"That's because this is our _third_ challenge this day. The Juggy Chunks, the self-destruct, and now the painting."

"Oh, wow, you're right! So after nine days and ten challenges that were either difficult, or dangerous, or _both_ , we're finally allowed to catch a break, even if it's just for one day. Case in point," she jabbed a thumb back towards the counterfeit bear trap. "And honestly, after everything we've been through, I'll take what I can get."

"I completely agree," Ella said. "That being said… We should be trying to not come in last for now. I'd prefer it if one of us didn't get sent home because we weren't trying our hardest or something."

"Yeah, that's fair," Sammy said with a nod. "You really do want to win this, though, don't you?"

"Of course! I know I may have risked a bit much over night, but now that I've been given a second chance, I _really_ want to put it to good use. I'm not sure how I'll get past Sky and Jasmine, but I feel like I've got _some_ chance at winning."

"I think you do, too. And I'll do whatever I can to help you get there!"

"We already agreed on that, but thank you for reconfirming it! And I'll do the same for you!" Sammy grinned back at her.

They entered into a comfortable silence, though they made sure not to slow down their pace. Sammy was keeping an eye on their surroundings as they ran - she _really_ didn't want a repeat of what just happened, fake or not. And who knew what else the host left in the sand for them?

But after a few more minutes of jogging, Ella broke the silence.

"I know we're in the middle of a challenge and all, but can we talk about, ah… us?"

She tore her eyes from the ground to look back at the girl running beside her. "Oh, yeah, absolutely. I was gonna wait for tomorrow morning when we were a bit more free, but now works too."

"Okay," Ella said. "I didn't actually say it last night with everything going on, but…" She took a big breath. "I really, _really_ like you too." Her face flushed red and her grin split from ear to ear, and she put her hands on her cheeks. "Phew! Saying it out loud after so long takes a load off my mind, you know?"

"Oh, trust me, I get that," Sammy laughed, her insides warming her to her core. "So, how long have you known?"

"Mmm," she hummed in thought. "'Known' is tricky, I think, but the feelings started when you pulled me out of the water that one time." Remembering it, she actually moaned in embarrassment and hid her face behind her hands. "Specifically it was… when you put my shoe back on."

"When I put your…" She had to think back and recall that memory, but she did remember that happening. "Huh. I had forgotten that part. So that was the exact moment when it happened?"

Ella nodded abashedly. "I was still thinking of things like fairy tales then, and so-"

"Wait," Sammy interrupted, a laugh in her voice. "Wait wait wait. Was, was it because that ended up being a low-budget recreation of that scene in Cinderella?"

Ella whimpering and hiding her face further told her the answer.

" _OMG!_ " Sammy cooed. "Aww, Ella, that's so adorable!"

She smiled awkwardly and quickly ushered the conversation forward. "Th-Thank you. Moving on, I was trying to figure things out afterward. Like I mentioned last night, it was the first time I had ever had feelings like this for a girl, so it threw me off a bit at first."

"Oh, right," Sammy said. "So… I'm guessing by this point, you don't see it as an issue."

"Absolutely not!" Ella replied. "I absolutely do _not_ have any sort of issue with it. In fact, I've _never_ had one with it. Love is love, after all, and love is… _beautiful_. That said, those feelings got me thinking, and I realized that the same applies to me. It's still a little early to tell, but I believe that for me, it doesn't matter the other person's gender or what they identify as. As long as they're a good person, have a good _soul_ , then that would be enough for me."

"So, you're pansexual then," Sammy offered. She was acutely aware of the different forms of sexualities a person could be, having looked them up online herself when she was younger and had only just discovered her own. It was intriguing to find out what sorts of sexualities there were… and also heartbreaking to learn that not everyone thought people identifying as these deserved any sort of love.

Ella clapped her hands together. "That was the word! Yes, that sounds about right for me. Before now, I think I only thought of myself as liking boys because… well, that's what was in movies and such all the time. Girls like boys, boys like girls, and rarely, if ever, anything but."

"Media _really_ tries to force people into thinking that, doesn't it," Sammy said with a sigh. "It's better nowadays, but still nowhere near perfect."

"I see that now. But…" She motioned to the camera that was automatically keeping pace with them on a track near the water's edge. "If all goes well, we'll be able to change that!"

That was highly optimistic of her, though it really was in her nature. "I don't think it would be as easy as that…"

"Mm, maybe you're right. But there's no harm in trying, right? And I think I may have mentioned this, but maybe someone, somewhere will take inspiration from us and want to confess to the person _they_ like, despite the pressures of doing so."

Sammy remembered Ella saying that in the cave, and she gave her a bright smile. "Your endless optimism is really refreshing, you know that?"

"That's one of my best qualities, I've been told," Ella said with a proud grin. "So what about you? When did you find out?"

"Me? I've known I was gay for a couple of years now," Sammy answered. "One day I just realized that I had more attraction towards girls than guys, and then a _lot_ of things fell into place."

"It must have been a relief to figure it out."

Sammy giggled. " _Oh_ yeah, it was. It, uh… was also something I kept to myself until now though. Back then, my preferences in romantic partners wasn't something I could just casually bring up at the dinner table. It probably still isn't."

"Um…" Ella looked past her and at the camera again. "Not to be the bearer of bad news, but I _think_ you've passed the point of secrecy already."

Sammy sighed heavily. "Yeah, I know."

"But, think of this as a new stage in your life!" Ella tried happily. "A new opportunity to be yourself even more than before!"

"That's what I want!" Sammy told her. "I'm just… so scared of the backlash I might get because of it. I'm scared that I'm going to have to suffer again, and this time at someone else's hand. Maybe even a _lot_ of people's hands."

This was what had her so afraid amongst all of the joy. She had _just_ _found_ this joy, this happiness at feeling like she belonged and was loved and able to love, and the chances of her having to deal with abuse once again because of it was way too high for her liking. A vast chunk of the world didn't respect people like her, and was very unlikely to change its ways just because she came out on a TV show. Heck, with Total Drama being as popular as it was around the world, it might even end up worse.

And she knew she had been psyched up to confess to Ella and not care what other people think. But now that the adrenaline had worn off, the worries all flew right back into place as if they never left. It was going to be so very hard dealing with everything now…

Ella, however, seemed to not be having any of that. She grasped Sammy's hand and squeezed as tightly as she could. "Then we'll suffer together!"

"What? Really?" Sammy asked her in astonishment. "You'd do that for me? Are you sure?"

"Well, yeah! I'm in this as much as you are!" Her smile turned crooked and she let out a strangled moan. "That said, I'm already rather disliked at school. It's probably going to get pretty difficult for me now…"

"Oh," she mumbled. She knew that just by being attracted to Ella, the songbird was going to get some amount of ire aimed at her, but now that it was clear she reciprocated Sammy's feelings? She was likely going to have a lot more to deal with than Sammy was…

"But that's okay!" Ella declared. "Because I know that you love me as much as I love you, and that will make things so much easier."

Sammy felt her grin widening, her cheeks flushing, and her chest warming at that. _Love. It's… really weird to say, especially now that we're not in a do-or-die situation, but… Just hearing it makes me feel so much better about the future._

"I guess we have no choice but to stick together on this, then," Sammy said with a light laugh. "You know… It's actually really relieving that you feel the same way. I don't know what I would have done if you didn't…"

"I'm sure you would've found someone else if not."

"It probably wouldn't have happened for a long time," Sammy admitted. "But I'm glad it's you. Right now I wouldn't want anyone else."

Ella cooed and put a hand to her chest. "You're sweet, you know that?"

"If either one of us is sweet, it's you."

"But that doesn't mean you're not!"

"Okay, well, you're _more_ -"

"Oh my _god_ will you both shut up?!" yelled Chris as a monitor popped up from the sand alongside them. Sammy screamed in surprise and tripped over her feet. "You are _literally_ giving me cavities over here!"

Sammy coughed and spat out sand, and Ella helped her brush it off her clothes. "Was that really necessary?" Ella asked bitterly.

"Absolutely," Chris said. "The audience isn't gonna be interested in something sappy like this!"

"Aren't romances a big selling point for the show, though?" Sammy asked, wiping her jawline and rising to her knees.

"They are, but only when there's a lot of misdirection and shouting. These relationships need _conflict_ , and yours' lacks it entirely!"

The girls shared a look. "Isn't that more of a good thing?" Ella asked.

"Not here it isn't."

Sammy thought it over for a moment. No way was she just going to start yelling at Ella, she didn't deserve it in the least. But she really, _really_ wanted to get Chris off her back… "Huh," she said as inspiration struck her. "Ella!"

"Huh?" Ella whirled on her in surprise. "W-What?"

"You… You have an awesome singing voice!" she shouted at her. "And honestly I love your hair! It's just so poofy and bounces whenever you move! It's really cute!"

Confusion quickly became etched on her face, along with the red from her blushing, but soon enough her eyes lit up in understanding. "Oh! Uh, thank you!" she shouted right back, hands balled into fists. "Your hair is just as nice! It's so flowy and full of life!"

"Thank _you_!"

"No, thank _you_!"

Chris was sputtering behind the screen. "Hey! That's _not_ what I meant when I said shouting!"

Sammy stood back up and took off running again, Ella hot on her trail. "You didn't specify!" she called out in a sing-song voice as Ella laughed mirthfully.

They ran and shouted at each other random compliments - from Ella having a cute nose, to Sammy having a beautiful laugh, to both girls admiring the other's determination in both the game and their desire to be better - before they started asking each other simple and harmless questions.

"What's your favorite color?!"

"Pink and white! It's a tie! What about yours?!"

"Blue! But if we want to get technical it's actually called cobalt! Yes I looked it up, please don't judge me!"

"No judgement at all! It's a lovely color! What's your favorite movie?!"

"I really liked Spirited Away! But I haven't seen many movies recently that interested me! I really need to change that when I get home!"

"I will gladly watch movies with you if you want to! I know of a computer app that can let us watch Netflix together from entirely different locations!"

"That sounds incredible! Thank you! What about you?!"

"Pretty much all the Disney movies! Even the not so great ones from the 80s! They all hold a special place in my heart!"

"That is such a 'you' answer!"

"Is that a good thing?!"

"Yeah! Of course!"

Favorite foods, dessert, season, time of day, places they visited, places they _want_ to visit, favorite school subjects, least favorite subjects… They kept shouting aimless questions at one another until their throats started to hurt and they devolved into painful laughter.

And as ridiculous as it sounded, Sammy needed that. Something silly and funny to help with the destressing. The painting helped plenty, for sure, but she needed an excuse to have her mood lightened, and a shouting match with Ella with no anger or animosity proved to be the key. Now she just needed some water to soothe her throat…

And to quench her thirst. The running was beginning to get to her.

Unfortunately, all of the positive shouting ended up taking their eyes off of the sand, and when they heard the next _click_ from under their feet they weren't ready for what came next. A cloud of sickly-looking green smoke burst out from the ground, and the girls quickly started coughing.

" _Gah- Ack-_ " Ella coughed and hacked. "Oh god- Stink bomb! _It's a stink bomb!_ "

"Move, _move!_ " Sammy cried.

The two of them burst from the clouds and fell to their knees to cough up their lungs. They looked at each other, at their eyes puffy and red from the foul-smelling smoke. And despite it all, they broke out into even more uproarious laughter at the entire situation.

They resumed their run, and though the scent lingered on them it didn't last for very long. They soon entered a comfortable silence, penetrated only by their quick breaths, and it wasn't even a few minutes afterwards that they came across someone else. Amy was hunched over the sand, coughing and dry heaving. A gross looking puddle sat in front of her, beneath her face, and Sammy didn't need to ask what had happened. Nearby, another monitor had risen from the sand with Chris's face on it, and he seemed to be speaking to Amy with that same old smug grin of his.

"What happened to her?" Ella gasped.

"I think she just pushed herself to the limit," Sammy answered. "Sprinted for too long, and now she's paying the price."

"Should we stop?"

"Nah, this is all on her. She'll learn from this. Hopefully."

"If you say so."

They approached her, their pace remaining the same. Amy was gripping the sand harshly, her eyes full of anger and frustration as either sweat or tears (or both) poured down her face. She looked at them as they passed, and her expression changed from rage to surprise, to realization, to defeat. " _Dammit_ ," she grumbled.

"I'm sorry," Sammy said to her evenly. "But you really shouldn't have sprinted-"

" _I know!_ " Amy yelled at her. "I don't need to be told that a _third_ time!"

"Yeah, I was already making fun of her for it," Chris said when Sammy and Ella looked at the monitor. "Turns out she's really touchy about her failures!"

" _Shut up!_ "

"You see?" He laughed cruelly.

Sammy hadn't wanted to punch someone in the face as badly as this before. That said, Amy _did_ kind of deserve it - the few good things she'd done since last night were a great start, but not nearly enough for Sammy to want to save her from Chris's onslaught.

"Just try to pace yourself from now on," she told her sister instead, and pressed forward with Ella close behind. Amy didn't reply as they left.

"Are you sure you just want to leave her?" Ella asked when they were far enough away.

"I'm sure," Sammy answered. "I've already decided to give her a chance to be a better person. Anything else would be undeserving, I feel."

"I know, but…"

"Consider it punishment for what she did to me." Sammy reconsidered her words. "Actually, it's more like the _start_ of her punishment. An 11-year-long one."

With that, Ella conceded. "I guess you're right. It wouldn't be fair otherwise."

Her hesitance was not lost on Sammy, however. "You're a _really_ good person, you know? To feel all this pity for someone like her." She herself felt _some_ pity towards Amy, but not enough that it would stop her from helping her with _everything_. Wanting to see her recovery through was one thing - helping her win the game was another.

Ella offered a small smile and shrugged slightly. "It's just who I am. I look for the best in everyone." With a sigh she added, "Whether I know I shouldn't or not."

Sammy placed her hand on Ella's shoulder. "Hey, it's a _great_ quality to have. Not many people in the world can say that they have it. In fact, more people _should_ look for the best in others. Or, well, at least they should look for the best in people who aren't _total_ creeps."

"I always thought, if people were just a _bit_ kinder to others, the world would be a much better place," Ella said.

"Well," Sammy said, the desire to become sappy rising in her once more. "I know _my_ world is a much better place now."

Ella's face turned crimson and she buried her face in her hands. "Ohh, goodness," she said breathily.

Sammy couldn't hide her grin. She was going to have just as much fun teasing Ella as Ella would have teasing her.

* * *

The island was a lot bigger than Sammy remembered. They'd been running for a good while now, and her legs were starting to turn to jelly. Poor Ella was having it worse, asking to stop for breaks several times during the course of the challenge, and in the end the two chose to walk the rest of the way rather than run. It was a good challenge for someone who regularly did something like this, but definitely not for either of them.

Thankfully, aside from a mishap with a rope trap Sammy tripped over and a few special surprise balloons being lobbed at them (which ended up containing sticky maple syrup), they managed to stay out of harm's way for the remainder of the challenge. About two hours in, around the time Ella was going into detail on exactly _why_ Frozen was so popular (not that Sammy particularly cared, but listening to Ella's passionate talking was a treat in and of itself), Chris's voice erupted over the loudspeaker. "This just in! Jasmine has taken first place, and wins tonight's dinner! Everyone else has 30 minutes of challenge time left, and as a friendly reminder, whoever's in last is getting the boot!"

Sammy turned her head around to see the empty expanse of beach behind her. "I think we know who's getting that boot."

"Looks to be that way," Ella said with a quiet sigh. "Are you sure you're okay with that?"

Sammy smiled wryly. She wasn't getting fed up with how often Ella was asking - in fact, her ability to find the positives amidst the negatives was rather appealing. "I think so. She was going to get taken out eventually. No way would she be able to beat Sky and Jasmine in anything athletic, and that's what a lot of these challenges have been."

Ella gave her a confused look. "Couldn't the same be said about us?"

Sammy blinked. "Uhh… At least we know how to pace ourselves."

On they walked, continuing to chat idly until their time ran out. Chances were they were nowhere close to the finish line, but they had no intention of just stopping and waiting for the clock to run its course. In the distance, however, it appeared that someone had intended to do just that.

"Sky?" Ella called out when they got close enough to her. She was sitting at the shore, bare feet in the water and relaxing with her head thrown back. She looked over to them when she heard her name. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, hey," she said back, standing and approaching them. "Resting. I already went for a run this morning, and it's never a good idea to overexert the body with exercise."

"Makes sense," Sammy said. "I'm kinda surprised though. I expected you to at least try and cross the finish line before stopping."

She shrugged. "I guess normally I would. But I didn't really have much reason to."

Sammy and Ella shared a look. "Wouldn't winning be enough?" Sammy asked. Seeing Sky choose _not_ to try and win the challenge tailor-made to her skills was a little jarring and somewhat worrisome.

"Normally, yeah, but I dunno," Sky said. She kicked at the sand in idle thought. "I just wasn't feeling it today."

"Well," Ella said, and gestured onward. "Did you want to walk with us then? The more the merrier."

"You totally should," Sammy added, hoping to bring Sky out of her funk. She looked back over her shoulder. "We're, uh, not in any danger of outright losing, anyway."

Sky hummed and nodded. "Yeah, I'll walk with you guys." She picked up her shoes and the three kept going forward.

Every now and then Sammy looked back, just to see if Amy had found her second wind and was sprinting again, but for the next few minutes she was nowhere to be found. "Unless something drastic happens, I doubt there's even going to be enough to use as an episode," Sammy noted. "Not much has happened." The other two gave her a startled look. "N-Not that I wanted anything to happen! Just thinking out loud is all!"

Both of them looked relieved. "I do see where you're coming from," Sky said. "There's not a whole lot of urgency today, despite all the… _pranks_."

"Not that that's a bad thing!" Ella shouted out to the island, as Chris was likely listening. "We quite like this change of pace!"

"That'll probably upset him more," Sammy told her.

"Oh, I'm well aware," she said with a cheerful, knowing smile.

"Guys, listen," Sky said suddenly, drawing their attention. She was frowning and fidgeting her thumbs together. "I have a confession to make."

Sammy, surprised, wasn't sure what that confession could be, but Ella apparently had an idea. "It's okay. We already figured you were teaming up with Jasmine."

"Oh!" Sammy nodded. "Yeah, it's understandable why. Ella and I are teaming up ourselves, so…"

Sky sighed. "I guess it was pretty obvious, huh. Yeah, Jasmine and I are partnered together now. It's the best option either of us have right now for winning. So… I'm sorry."

The girls shared a startled glance. "Sorry? Why are you sorry?" Sammy asked.

"Because I told you last night, before we… we eliminated Shawn, that I wasn't going to turn my back on you guys. And yet here I am, pairing up with someone else. It… sucks. And I don't like it."

"Oh, Sky." Ella stopped walking and wrapped Sky up in a hug, the shorter girl yelping as she was drawn in. "Are you worried we're going to be mad at you for this?"

Sky remained silent, and after a moment only nodded her head.

"Hey, we can't be mad at you for that," Sammy told her, getting in on the affection and wrapping her arms around them both. "We're all trying to win, and if working with Jasmine is what's best for you, then we can't fault you for that."

"But," Sky said. "This is gonna make it so much harder on you guys. And neither of you deserve that."

Ella smiled softly and stroked Sky's hair. "Who said winning a million dollars was going to be easy?"

"True that, it hasn't been easy this whole time. And besides," Sammy said, "We've already accepted we'll be against you from now on. It was kind of a no-brainer."

"But that doesn't mean we like you any less than before, okay?" Ella told her gently. "We're still friends. And hopefully we'll all _stay_ as friends, us and Shawn and Beardo. Maybe even Jasmine if she's up for it too."

"She'd _totally_ be up for it," Sammy told her. She gasped suddenly. "We should like, get everyone's contact info and have Zoom calls with each other when we get out of here! That would be so awesome! Being able to keep in touch with everyone would be perfect!"

Ella cast a confused glance her way. "Sorry, uh, what's Zoom?"

"Oh, it's like… Skype? But newer, I think." _And the only reason I know that is because Amy uses it._

"Huh! Well, that makes more sense."

A laugh sounded out between them, and Sky shook her head in astonishment. "You guys are something else, you realize? I don't think I've ever met anyone as kind and understanding as either of you. You're both one of a kind."

Sammy blinked at that and smiled bashfully. "Oh, gosh, I dunno about _that_ …"

"It's the truth!" Sky insisted.

"She's right," Ella said. "You should take the compliment!"

"Oh, uh. Looks like I don't have a choice," Sammy said with a chuckle. "I'm sure I'll get used to accepting compliments one day."

"You seemed just fine accepting them earlier," Ella pointed out.

"Well, yeah, because they were coming from _you_."

With a blush and a laugh, Ella said, "Ah, I see!"

"You guys are adorable," Sky said, and broke free of their hug. "And, um, thanks, for not getting mad. I was really starting to get worried."

"You don't have to be worried about making us mad," Sammy told her. Ella nodded in agreement.

"That takes a load off my shoulders," Sky said. "Seriously, you two are like, the best possible friends I could ask for. I'm starting to think you're more trustworthy than Keith is…"

Sammy's thoughts came to a grinding halt, though Ella kept going. "Why, that's very nice of you to-" And then _she_ stopped abruptly. "Um. Hold a moment. Who is Keith?"

Sky stared at them, and then looked like a bug caught in a spider web. "Ooh. Crap. I've never mentioned him, have I?" Both Sammy and Ella slowly shook their heads. "Right. Um. He's… kinda sorta my boyfriend from back home."

It took a moment for that to sink in, and when it did, the girls' screams of shock and surprise were likely heard from the other side of the island.

* * *

After _that_ conversation was discussed and wrapped up, the 30 minute mark had come and gone. Amy was nowhere to be found, and the finish line was _just_ visible in the distance. It was obvious what would happen next, but for some reason Sammy wasn't all that thrilled about it. She had pretty much accepted this outcome from the get-go, but it still left a bad taste in her mouth.

Despite the challenge being over, the three of them kept going until they reached the finish line. Jasmine was there sitting on the beach, but Chris and Chef were absent. "Hey Jasmine. Is it just you?" Sammy asked.

"Yep," she replied. "Chris went off to fetch Amy in that jeep of his. Said that he wants the final shot of the challenge to be at the finish line."

"Then I'm glad we kept going," Ella said, sitting down herself. "But for now, I must rest. My legs _really_ need a break."

"Me too," Sammy said, plopping down onto her back with a groan. "I don't think I've moved my legs this much in my life. They feel like they're about to collapse in on themselves any second."

"Man," Sky laughed, still standing. "Neither of you would be able to handle one of _my_ full workouts then."

"Shush!" Ella scolded lightly as Sammy stuck her tongue out at her. "Some of us aren't as dedicated to getting abs as much as you are." Sky stuck her own tongue out right back at Sammy, and laughed at the childishness of it. Ella took the opportunity to keep talking though. "How are you doing?" she asked Jasmine casually. "Congrats on winning, by the way."

Jasmine seemed genuinely taken back by both of those sentences, as if the number of times Ella and Jasmine spoke could be counted on one hand. "Oh. I'm doing alright. And thanks, though it really isn't much to congratulate me for. This was probably the least challenging challenge they could've thought up."

"You're right about that," Ella agreed. "Still, I believe it warrants a congratulations all the same, especially since you're the one getting dinner. So, congratulations!"

Jasmine giggled behind her hand and shook her head. "Alright, there's such a thing as being _too_ nice to the competition." To Sammy she said, "Maybe you oughta teach her how to trash talk."

Sammy was unable to imagine Ella _ever_ trash talking someone. But a bit of assertiveness wouldn't do her any harm - she knew that first hand. "Maybe I should!" Sammy replied with a laugh. "Ella, try coming at me with your best trash talk!"

Immediately Ella looked unsure of herself. "Oh, gosh. I don't know if I can do that."

"I'm not gonna take offense, I promise."

"Mm… I still don't know…"

Sammy stuck her little finger out. " _Pinkie_ promise!"

Ella snorted and laughed. "Well, now I _have_ to do it." She shook it with her own pinkie, and cleared her throat. Hesitantly, she pointed at Sammy. "Y… You're not going to win, you… you… blonde… person!"

Sammy snorted herself and attempted to hold back. But in the end she couldn't and ended up bursting out laughing, clutching her stomach and kicking her legs. "OMG!" she shouted in between. "Ella, y-you are _so_ precious!"

Sky and Jasmine got in on the laughter, though Ella seemed less eager. "I don't like trash talking! It's too rude!"

"Either that, or you're just not good at it," Jasmine said, grinning. "You ever been in a fight before?"

" _Me_?" Ella asked, incredulous. "Never! I've never hurt anyone before!" She paused. "At least I hope I haven't."

"Welp, that explains it." Jasmine tipped her hat back to scratch her head. "You know, it's kinda crazy you made it this far without so much as a bad bone in your body."

"I don't think it's crazy," Sky told her. "It's pretty admirable, actually. Besides, she deserves to be here just as much as anyone else."

"Especially after last night," Sammy added.

Ella's face lit up like a beacon and she waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, no, I don't think it was anything _that_ special… But I do agree that I deserve to be here as well. I think all of us do." Another pause. "Except Scarlett."

"And that's why she was ejected from the island," Sky laughed.

"And good riddance, too," Jasmine noted. "The less I think about _her_ , the better."

"For real," Sammy shuddered. "I've talked about her enough for one lifetime. Let's talk about literally anything else."

They did so for another bit longer, until Chris and Chef returned with Amy now in tow. She had been provided a towel and bottle of water, and though she didn't look all that happy, she also didn't look all that upset. Sort of like she also knew this result was coming and had come to terms with it. _I mean we did just spend an hour or so ahead of her… She's had time to do some soul searching, I'd say._

"Congrats to Jasmine, for beating everyone else," Chris said after he lined everyone up at the edge of the finish line. "For your reward, you get not only exclusive bragging rights, but you also earn tonight's meal: a proper, home-cooked five-star dinner courtesy of Chef Hatchet!" He held up a tablet that was showing a video, specifically of the long, fancy table from last night, decked out in steaks, fish, salads, fruits, desserts, and everything in between.

The five contestants gasped at the sight, unable to tear their eyes away, and no one was laughing more joyously than Jasmine. "Are you serious?!" she cried out. "Bloody brilliant, that is! Finally, some good freaking food!"

"I didn't even _think_ that the food would be proper this time!" Sky grumbled, double-palming her face. "If I had known that, I would've actually tried to win! Argh, I'm such a-!"

Chris's airhorn rang out, effectively shutting everyone up. "Simmer down!" the host called out. He sent his smirk over to Amy. "On the other end, we have Amy in last place despite her head start, earning her the title of 'Queen Loser' and a one-way trip out of here!"

Amy scoffed, folding her arms and looking away. "Whatever. It's time I left this piece of shit island anyway."

Chris ignored her. "The rest of you are neither winners nor losers, but don't rest on your laurels right yet - we've still got at _least_ three more challenges filled with pain and suffering ready to go!"

The rest of them groaned and huffed. "Can't we keep doing challenges like this instead?" Sammy asked, although she immediately wished she hadn't.

"Not on your life, dude. The techie guys tell us that the island will be partially back online by tomorrow morning, so we can resume with some of our regular, danger-induced challenges." His plastic grin widened considerably. "And trust me, you're gonna _love 'em_."

Sammy gave him an exasperated look. "Yeah, gonna say no to that."

Jasmine's excitement for her meal vanished all of a sudden, and was replaced with a look of startled concern. "Hold the phone. Chris, is this video live?" she asked, pointing to the host's tablet.

"Yep," he replied with a cheerful nod, "we've already had the food prepared so that whoever won could eat the second they were able. Why do you ask?"

Everyone zeroed in on the tablet and recoiled in disgust. "Mate, there're gulls picking at it!" Jasmine shouted, pointing emphatically at the screen. Two or three seagulls had landed on the table and were beginning to eat away at the multitude of meals. Clearly they were real ones, likely drawn to the smell of the food from off the coast of the island.

Chris flipped the tablet around and laughed at what he saw. "Oh, _that_ I wasn't expecting. Good for them!"

"Chris! Shoo them away!" Jasmine pleaded, running up to the man and grasping his shoulders. "Don't let them eat the food!"

Unperturbed, Chris casually pushed aside her hands. "I'm thinkin'… _nah_."

Jasmine, along with the rest of the girls, gaped at him. Likely realizing she was losing an impossible fight, she instead asked, "Then where's the meal?! At least let me get some of it before it's gone!"

"Oh, you'll find it on the other side of the island, where we had our challenge last night." He turned and looked in the direction the main area was. "I'd say if you sprint, you'll make it in time to get, say… enough for a snack?"

Jasmine clenched her fists and seethed with anger, but let it all out in a cry of frustration as she took off at a run into the forest.

Chris paid her no mind. "The rest of you should be getting back too. I'm due for an early sleep tonight, so the sooner you return to camp the faster we can get the elimination over with."

"Can't you just bring us back in your jeep?" Ella asked, pointing to the machine.

"And give you guys a free ride that none of you deserve? No deal, brah." He and Chef walked by them, hopped into the vehicle, and took off. "See you in a few hours!"

The remaining girls groaned even further, Amy even deciding to give the host a double flip of the bird. "Screw you, too, McLean!" she called out at the same time.

"So we run to the other side of the island, tire ourselves out, and now we have to walk back?" Sammy asked aloud, flopping down onto the sand once more. "This may have been a relatively-stress-free day, but it has _not_ been easy…"

"I don't know if I can do anymore walking," Ella moaned, likewise falling down. "Can someone carry me? That would be nice."

Sky lightly chuckled and playfully nudged Sammy with her shoe. "C'mon, you lazybones, up and at 'em. There's only a few more hours til sundown and we don't want to make Chris mad."

"I know," Sammy whined. "But the sand is so… comfy…"

She would've stayed lying down for just a bit longer, but without uttering a sound Amy started following after Chris's jeep through the forest. Sammy watched her go, and all of a sudden there was a twinge of sympathy in her heart. Without any further thoughts or words she rose to her feet and hurried after her.

"Hey," she said once they started through the trees. "You gonna be okay?"

Amy didn't look back as she shrugged. "I guess. It sucks but like… I knew this was gonna happen eventually."

Sammy had figured that, but hearing it come from Amy herself left a whole different taste in her mouth. "Yeah?"

"Well, yeah. I'm not stupid. I know I'd never be able to beat Jasmine or Sky at anything this show could throw at us. The painting was just a dumb fluke, and definitely not something I could rely on to win." She sighed and scratched her head. "I mean, yeah, sure, obviously I wanted to win. We _all_ wanted to win. But I'm not going to kid myself and think that I have a shot anymore. And that's ignoring the fact that I've already officially lost."

Sammy could think of a few ways Amy could try to win - manipulate her way to first place, use the skills she demonstrated on Chris to get herself a few advantages over the others. Whether it was because she didn't want to use them or she didn't even think of using them, it was clear that Amy wanted to go about this fairly. Despite this Sammy frowned, and looked back towards the path. "I suppose."

She knew her sister wanted to change - given their talk last night, that much was obvious. And she knew that with change, she was going to start acting differently. But this wasn't really what Sammy was expecting. She knew Amy to be the kind of person to always go for what she wanted, even if it meant doing something underhanded to get it. But this was on a whole other level - now Amy was admitting defeat without fighting for victory, and it caught Sammy off guard. It was like the wind had left her sails entirely.

Not that it was a bad thing, of course. Just surprising.

Amy finally looked at her. "What's that smile for?"

 _Aw dang it, not again._ "Just thinking. Nothing to worry about."

She only grunted in response.

The two continued on, side by side, no animosity from either of them. Sammy did her best to control her smile, but on the inside, she was actually feeling the fledglings of hope. Hope that maybe, one day in the far future, they could be proper sisters and perhaps… even friends.

* * *

The sun was set. The campfire was lit. The cannon was prepped and ready to go.

It was time to say goodbye to Amy.

Sammy stood with the others, watching with mixed feelings as her sister stepped forward. She had fallen back with Ella and Sky during their return trip, and hadn't really had a chance to say anything else to Amy. Not that she was even sure what to say - how do you console your enemy-turned-not-quite-an-enemy-anymore of a sister when you're not even sure she needs you to talk to her? Sammy knew many of Amy's tells from growing up, but they were limited to lying, backstabbing, and tormenting. Anything more genuine and close to the heart was new territory for her.

Amy stood ahead of them, staring at the cannon listlessly. She let out a sigh and rubbed her arm, and took a look back at the players still in the game. Ella did the same, looking to see if anyone was going to say anything first, and in the end she actually took a quick step forward. "Um, thank you again for last night," Ella said quietly to her, taking Amy's hands and holding them tightly. "You gave me a second chance at this game, and I really don't know how else to thank you. So… I really, _really_ appreciate it."

Amy smiled wryly and shrugged. "It's whatever. Not like I didn't enjoy it, anyway."

Ella grinned brightly at her, and walked back to the group. "Good luck, wherever you land," she said.

Amy frowned then, reminded of the trip she was about to take. She then glanced at Sammy, stared at her for a moment, and turned towards Chris. "Can… I have some time to talk to her?"

Sammy blinked in surprise as Chris sighed heavily. "Fine. You have one minute."

Amy scowled at him, but turned her attention back to her sister. Sammy stepped forward, unsure of what to expect. _Another apology maybe? Or maybe she'll go back to before and chew me out or something._ She silently chided herself. _Ugh, come on, don't be ridiculous. She's passed that now._

The two of them stood stock-still for a handful of seconds, both awkwardly shifting from leg to leg. Sammy was tempted to say something to get her started, but it wasn't needed. Amy took a haggard breath and said, "Thanks."

At first she thought she heard wrong, and she shook her head in surprise. "Sorry, what?"

Amy rolled her eyes. " _Thanks_. For like… you know…" She deflated even more than she already was. "Giving me another chance."

 _Literally the last thing I was expecting her to say._ Out loud, Sammy said, "Oh."

"You know, if I were in your shoes," she continued, "I probably wouldn't have offered to listen. I probably would've just left me alone to my thoughts out of spite."

That, Sammy didn't doubt. Of the two of them, she knew Amy was the one more likely to write someone off the moment she decided they no longer deserved her attention. If Amy had to deal with someone like herself, they'd be gone like yesterday's rotten leftovers.

But Sammy wasn't like her sister, and by now that had become obvious. She believed in second chances (though not thirds), and she wasn't going to abandon someone if they were feeling remorseful about what they'd done. She'd make them work for redemption, no doubt about that, but she'd never deny them the chance to turn themselves around and change for the better.

Amy was no exception. Her sister had hurt her so much during her life, and those feelings of pain and suffering lingered and would linger for a long, long time. But what kind of person would she be if she ignored someone else suffering themselves?

_Not the kind of person I would want to be._

With a lopsided smile, Sammy shrugged. "Well," she said, "good thing you're not in my shoes."

Amy blinked in surprise, and _smiled_. It wasn't a big one, but neither was it small, but it was genuine, and proof of just how grateful Amy was of her.

And with only a second's hesitation, Amy strode up and hugged her sister.

Sammy was caught off guard - _this_ was a new experience. Amy was never an affectionate person, even when their mom tried to give her hugs. But Sammy was distracted for only a few seconds, and eagerly returned it. Amy still had a long way to go, and Sammy knew it wasn't going to be an easy journey… But at the very least, she was starting off strong.

"Thanks, S-"

Sammy tensed.

"…Sis."

And she let out a sigh. _So close, yet so far._

Amy groaned into her sister's shoulder. "Sorry."

Sammy rolled her eyes and smirked. "It's fine. We'll get there," she said, patting her sister on the back.

"Okay, time's up," Chris declared, and Chef immediately hauled Amy away. She was given a helmet, stuffed into the cannon, and looked down at the rest of them in mild fear. "Last chance for some final words, Amanda." He waved his remote around threateningly. "Better say something good!"

She clearly had no idea what to say. "Uhh," she started, but didn't get any farther than that as the cannon chose then to spit her out at over 100 kilometers an hour.

Her scream dug deep into their brains, and it wasn't something Sammy was particularly fond of hearing (mainly because there was a small part of her that _was_ ). "Good enough," Chris said with a shrug, and signed off on the episode with a twin-related pun that Sammy didn't bother laughing at.

She turned back to her friends with a melancholic edge to her lips. "So," she said to them. "That happened."

No one really knew what to say. "How… do you feel?" Sky tried uncertainly.

"I really wish I knew." She laughed humorlessly. "Then again, it's not like she's _dead_. I'll see her again in a few days. I just… I dunno. I don't know what I'm feeling. It's sort of like," she put a hand just over her heart, "empty, here, or something. You know?"

Sky and Jasmine shared an uneasy glance, while Ella approached her and took her hands. "I bet you wanted her to stay around a bit longer, didn't you? So you could help her even more?"

Was that it? Was she feeling like this because she was leaving something half done? She wasn't necessarily glad Amy was gone, but she likewise wasn't sad to see her go. She was in that weird middle ground of neutrality, unsure what to feel one way or another. She thought she had been fine with it earlier, but now that it's actually _happened_ she wasn't too sure.

"Maybe. I dunno."

Silence reigned over them, no one knowing what else to say. _I think we should just go to bed. The sooner we finish the game the sooner I can stop feeling like this._

Then Ella perked up with a glint in her eye and a smile on her face. "I know something that can cheer you up."

Sammy blinked. "You do?"

"Mm-hm. Follow me." Ella led her by the hand up the slope, a bit faster than she was expecting. To the other two she said, "We'll see you guys later."

They left the clearing before the others could say anything, and walked through the forest along the familiar pathway. Sammy found herself staring up into the night sky, and tried finding any sound to listen to. Finding none, she frowned and decided she'd rather listen to anything else.

"So where _are_ we going?" Sammy asked after a while. The departure of her sister still weighed on her mind, but Ella's mere presence was helping to lift her spirits. She was getting used to having her around, which made thinking about the next few days even more terrifying. _Don't focus on then. Focus on_ now _._

"You'll see," Ella replied with a smile. Sammy's heart fluttered at the sight, and she grinned herself as Ella seemed to unconsciously put a skip in her step. She didn't say anything about it, and hoped she kept doing it. Ella may have said she wanted to move away from acting like a princess, and a part of her was rooting for her to do just that, but she also couldn't help but adore this almost innocent side of her. It just showed that despite the changes she would undoubtedly make, she was still the optimistic and kind-hearted soul Sammy had met not a week and a half ago.

They kept walking for another while. Sammy almost asked her to stop and rest, after having moved her legs so much that day. But soon, something came into view. Something she was surprised to see, and not at all expecting.

"The… confessional?" Sammy asked skeptically. "I… kinda used the bathroom earlier, thanks."

Ella laughed and shook her head. "No, silly! I just brought us here for directions."

She stared at her. "Okay, now I'm confused."

"I found this place on the island earlier today, just after I finished going myself. Since everything's technically shut down, it shouldn't have moved since then. So I think I know how to get there without any trouble."

"Oh," Sammy said, still unsure what exactly this place was. "I guess danger-free challenges aren't the only thing the island shutting down was good for."

"That's what I thought too," Ella said. They walked past the outhouse and deeper into the forest. A path leading from it, one Sammy had yet to see before now, guided them past the foliage. Nighttime on the island was now just as quiet as it was during the day - barely any sound could be heard, and now that she was thinking about it Sammy figured all of _that_ was fabricated as well. _Is there_ anything _on this island that isn't fake?_

After a few more minutes of walking, she got her answer.

"Ta-da!" Ella cried, spreading out her arms to present it all.

Sammy's jaw dropped when she saw it.

It was a flower field, wide and vast as far as the eye could see. The moon shone bright enough that she could see many different types of flowers, none that she could put a name to immediately, but the variety of colors and styles were almost enough to overwhelm her.

She was never really a flower person - taking care of something so fragile was a challenge when she was unable to even take care of herself. But she knew that there was beauty here, that even this godforsaken island could have _something_ that made her gasp in awe.

"It's… _breathtaking_ ," she said quietly. The moon's light helped radiate and highlight the field before her, the clouds nonexistent as everything was in full view. The backdrop of the forest on the other side of the field, plus the night sky filled to the brim with stars helped make this feel like it was straight out of a painting.

"Isn't it?" Ella replied, taking the first steps into the field. She was careful not to step on any of the flowers, and avoided them like she was dancing. "I can't believe something as gorgeous as this was hiding on the island this whole time." She spun as she moved forward, her hair and skirt flowing around and chasing after her. She wore such a peaceful and carefree face that Sammy could almost feel all of her troubles melt away just by looking at her.

"Neither can I," she said. She wasn't sure whether she was talking about the flowers or the girl.

Sammy followed her, her eyes drifting from her and onto the flowers brushing at her legs. She took a moment to run her hands along one's petals. They _felt_ real enough, but would there honestly be someone here properly tending to all of these flowers? And regardless if they were real, what was the point of them? Would there have been a challenge requiring them to find a specific kind of flower amongst them all? Were some of these dangerous? In all honesty, probably, but she had no way of knowing which ones. Besides, the sheer majesty of what laid before her told her to not worry about it, to enjoy the night as best she could. _I doubt there's anything_ lethal _, at the very least_. _Maybe._

Ella stopped near what was most likely the middle of the field and took in everything around her. Sammy stared at her, at her form, at the flowers around her, at the night sky and the moonlight causing her eyes to twinkle, and decided that she didn't care what this was all for. She just wanted to be here with Ella. That was all that mattered.

Breathing deeply, Ella fell to her knees and sat in the midst of it all, and patted the spot beside her as an invitation. "Come, sit. Let's try and relax for the rest of the night, before we have to worry again tomorrow."

A night free of stress was _very_ appealing at this point. Without any other prompting, Sammy quickly plopped down next to Ella. "That's just what I need, really."

"Great." Ella made sure to wrap her hand around Sammy's. "We're just going to spend tonight talking, and unwinding, and easing ourselves out of any negative feelings we might be having. Okay?"

"Okay," Sammy said simply. She took a long, deep breath, and finished it off by placing her head on Ella's shoulder. "Is, um, is this okay? I don't want to overstep any bound-"

Ella's answer was to put her own head on Sammy's.

"Oh," she said giddily. "Guess that answers that."

The two of them took a moment to appreciate the silence between them. It wasn't awkward, they weren't trying to fill the quiet - they simply basked in each other's presence, in the scenery around them, and found themselves releasing all the tension that had built up over the last week and a half. Sammy made sure to focus on Ella's breathing - light, slow, and so easy to get lost in. If she knew they didn't have work to do tomorrow, she would never want to leave.

There was one thing on her mind that she needed to ask though, and now was the best opportunity she could find.

"Hey, Ella?"

"Hmm?"

"What… What are we?"

Ella paused in consideration. "Well… last I checked, we were humans."

Sammy snorted and playfully bopped Ella on the arm. "No, silly! I mean… what are _we_ , you and me? Are we… um…"

"Dating?"

She swallowed thickly. "Y-Yeah."

Ella was silent again, and for whatever reason Sammy was nervous of the answer. She knew she shouldn't be, she knew that Ella made her feelings known, but the pause was still making her anxious.

"I think…" Ella started. "I think… it's still a bit too early."

Sammy felt the anxiety go away, but in its place came sadness. "O-Oh. I see."

Ella seemed to pick up on Sammy's lackluster reaction and quickly spoke again. "Not because I don't want to! I _do_ want to! It- It's all I've been thinking about lately."

The sadness morphed into something akin to hope. "Really?"

"Yeah. But despite that… it's only been a little over a week since we met. We may have spent a lot of time together, but we… we still don't really know each other, do we? And, and I know we've been throwing out the words 'love' and all, and I want to think that's what I'm feeling, but… maybe it might be best to wait until we're off the island before we decide on anything."

That was a very good point. With no personal experience in being in a relationship, Sammy was apparently all too ready to jump into it at the first chance. She supposed it was due to how TV shows would portray them, like they were _romanticizing_ the romance. _The characters always hook up by the end of like, 12 episodes, and that's not always in real-time. I guess I was jumping the gun a bit._

Besides, Ella was right - they barely knew each other. Sammy knew the minimum of Ella's character, and some of her more personal secrets and history at home, and Ella likewise knew her's. But she had no idea how Ella lived on a day-to-day basis, what her schedules were like, what kind of person she was outside of the show. Granted, Sammy doubted heavily that much would be different, but it was still a wise decision to not rush into things.

"I understand," Sammy said. "So once the show is over, we can at least… try?"

"Yes. I'd very much like that," Ella replied.

The only thing to put a damper on Sammy's mood now was the potential difficulty of it. "Then again… long distance might be hard, you know? I've never been in a relationship before now, let alone one with someone who lives far away from me, so…"

"We can still try," Ella encouraged. "If you want this as much as I do, we can make it work."

To be reminded that Ella was in this as much as she was was invigorating, to say the least. "Alright. I believe you."

Sammy could feel Ella smile against her head, and she decided to wrap her arms around Sammy's waist. "Maybe it isn't 'love' right yet, but I think- I _know_ there's something there. Something that could _become_ love in the future. And I… I kind of want to find out if it is."

"I do too," Sammy replied. She lifted her head off her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "I want to see where this goes. And I really hope it goes somewhere good."

The softest, most heartwarming smile radiated on Ella's face, and she gave Sammy a quick, yet lingering kiss. "I hope so too."

They leaned back into each other and simply stared out over the field of flowers. Never before did Sammy feel as comfortable as she was now - and once she left the island and returned home, she was bound to feel even better. She couldn't wait to leave, either with the million or not, because she knew she'd be walking away with something - or rather, someone - worth even more.

She sighed heavily in satisfaction, and allowed herself simply to be.

…

…

…

"Did I ever tell you about that time I was a fire-breathing dragon?"

Sammy snorted loudly and covered her mouth as she laughed. " _Ahahaha_ \- W-What?!"

"In one of my first plays!" Ella said, her smile brimming with amusement. "I was about five years old at the time. It was pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself."

Recovering from her laughing fit, Sammy gave Ella a smile just as wide. "I haven't heard this one, no! Do tell!"

She nodded. "Well, I originally wanted the part of the princess, but it turns out that _this_ princess had a secret… When she got angry, she turned into a huge, green dragon!"

Ella continued her story, and Sammy couldn't help but be mesmerized by the lights dancing in her eyes. _Heart, you made a wise choice falling for her. Good for you. Good for you…_


	16. A Rocky Road Ahead of Us

Sammy couldn't remember when she fell asleep. One minute, she was talking with Ella about some of the highlights of her life (which were scarce, but had quickly started to grow after having met her and the others). Then the next, she was dreaming about Scarlett being overly hammy and taking control of the island, only to have Ella punch her in the face and save the day. It was a weird dream, and played out a little differently than it did in reality, but Sammy liked what it represented anyway.

The next thing she knew, she was waking up on the hard ground instead of a somewhat soft mattress, the sound of the wind and the chirping of birds ringing in her ears as the scent of hundreds of different flowers and plants infiltrated her nostrils. _If you ignore the ground being uncomfortable, this wouldn't be a bad place to wake up to every morning._

She moaned and stretched lazily, and turned onto her back. Ella was awake, having fallen asleep in the spot right next to her. Sammy was about to give her a 'Good morning' when her mind registered that she was staring at the underside of her arm. The red sleeve laid across her stomach, forgotten.

"Ella?" Sammy groggily said.

She tensed harshly - her fingers nearly clenched themselves into a fist and she was halfway to lowering and hiding her arm entirely. But then she stopped, and seemingly forced herself to relax. Rather than bring her arm to her side, she gently laid it down across her stomach, on top of the sleeve.

"G… Good morning," she said. She sounded more awake than Sammy felt, though there was a bit of awkwardness in her voice. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, like a log," Sammy replied, rubbing at her eyes. She was lucky the ground was keeping her from being her usual, heavy-sleeper self. "Going back to the ground instead of a bed is kinda weird. How about you?"

"Pretty good," she said. "It's not every day you wake up in the middle of a flower field. It was a rather nice feeling, I'd like to think."

"Yeah," Sammy agreed. "Smells like a garden here."

"It does, doesn't it?"

Sammy rested her eyes and attempted to block out the light from the blazing sun, but her mind was elsewhere. The new mental image of Ella's arm, held up and contrasting against the cloudless sky, refused to leave her. Was there a reason she had been looking at it? Should Sammy be concerned? Should she probably ask? There was no way these thoughts were going to go away anytime soon. It was probably best to just bite the bullet.

"Ella, I'm really sorry if this is prying too much, but… are you doing okay?"

She didn't say anything; she simply stared up into the sky. After a few moments of silence, she inhaled and exhaled, slowly and deeply. "I… think so. I was just… lost in thought."

Ella ended the sentence there, choosing not to elaborate. But Sammy couldn't just leave it. _Sometimes you have to get people to start talking, else they won't talk at all._ "Do you… wanna talk about it?"

No immediate response, but Sammy refused to be impatient with her. Ella's fingers twitched, and eventually they formed a fist.

"I'm scared," was all she said.

Sammy looked at her, at the fear in her eyes that she was only now just noticing, and found herself turning on her side to face her. "You are?" she asked.

Ella nodded. "I'm scared of the next time I'm going to get the urge to cut."

Slowly, ever so slowly, Ella raised her arm once more, and for the first time allowed Sammy to have an actual, proper look at it. Even though Ella's skin was already rather pale, her arm was even moreso, showing just how often her old glove had been covering it up. The number of scars across the width of her wrist were not numerous, but it was still a shocking sight to behold, even though she knew what to expect.

"These last few days have been amazing," Ella said in little more than a whisper. "Or, at least most parts of them were, when we haven't been on the verge of death. When I'm with you I have the time of my life, and my experiences with you and Sky and everyone else here has been nothing short of spectacular. And I would give _anything_ to make it last forever." There was a pause. "But…"

"But…?"

"But it _won't_ last forever. In the next few days, one of us might be gone. Heck, one of us could be gone by _tonight_. I've been able to focus on something strong enough to completely take my mind off of it, and… and if you're not around to help keep my attention elsewhere, I'm scared all of those negative thoughts are going to come back all at once and be that much harder to ignore."

Sammy said nothing as she took that in and continued to stare at the arm. It was true then - she had her suspicions that she was pretty much playing the role of Ella's emotional crutch, if her reaction to the team swap was anything to go by. Sammy didn't mind that, really, if it helped Ella focus herself elsewhere, but obviously there came a point where ignoring it outright and not confronting it would be incredibly damaging for her. If she was able to ignore it for a year, but then had the urge spike in her after that year was up, she would have no way of knowing how to properly fight it. Ella had to be made aware of that - and Sammy intended to do just that.

"I… I can really only imagine the fear you must be feeling," Sammy said slowly.

"I won't lie, it's rather stifling," she said. "Up until the… monkey incident, I'd been simply using the excitement of being on the show to avoid thinking about it. And after that, I've been able to perform in the challenges because I knew you were here. But if you end up losing somehow, I don't know what I would do… And I guess the same could be said for if _I_ lose."

"So… the fear of getting the urge to cut again is what you're most afraid of? And that if I'm not here to distract you, then it might happen again?"

"Yes, I guess so."

"And it's not the fear that one of us might be going home?"

"I…" She paused. "I suppose when you put it like that, it's rather ridiculous. We would really only be apart for a day or two, really."

"Mm, no, don't say that," Sammy told her. "Don't say it's ridiculous. Whatever you're feeling, it's valid."

"Oh. Right. You're right."

"I'm just… you know, worried."

Ella sighed and clenched her hands together, turning her knuckles rather white. "I thought you would be. I'm sorry."

"No! No, it's okay, please don't apologize."

"Oh, I'm so- ...Right, okay."

"The thing I'm worried about though is like…" She huffed. How was she going to say this? She wanted to sugarcoat it somehow, but she really needed to make sure Ella was aware of what she was trying to do. In the end, she settled for the not-so-subtle route. Trying to talk around it proved to be too tricky for her to pull off, anyway. "I… I'm just going to say it. I don't know if ignoring it outright is the best solution." Ella didn't reply to her, or even look at her. Sammy took that as an invitation to keep going. "Wouldn't doing that be just the same as the whole princess stuff? Ignoring your problems and not dealing with them? I really don't want to sound like I'm being rude, but… it almost seems to me that you're falling back into your old habits." She frowned and turned onto her back again. "And that I'm being used as a substitute for the clothes and mannerisms, I guess."

A pause. A long, agonizing pause. The instant the gap of silence started Sammy began going over everything she had said, to see if she had said something wrong, to try and anticipate what Ella could say back to her. _Is she going to freak? Is she going to cry? God, why am I so bad at these sorts of things!?_

Her breathing hitched, and all of Sammy's attention zeroed in on her. "So… you're saying that I…"

Sammy pushed herself into a sitting position and looked down at her. A few droplets of tears were staining the edges of her eyes, and she looked to be doing everything to keep her gaze on the sky. "What I'm saying is, you need to deal with it. Like, seek help. _Professional_ help. From a therapist or someone."

Ella finally looked her way. "Therapists are expensive."

"I know," Sammy agreed. "But listen, even if we don't end up winning this thing, I still want to help you! I'll help pay for any therapy you might need!" _On top of my own. I don't think it'll be too difficult, if I can convince Mom to help out._

Ella's red eyes went wide and she sat up herself. "I can't accept that," she said quickly.

"What?" Sammy asked, flabbergasted. "Why not?"

"If we don't end up winning the million between us, I can't accept that," she said. Her face was hardened in resolve. "Splitting the reward I'm fine with, obviously. Taking _your_ money and using it on myself if we don't win? That's something I'm _not_ okay with."

"But… it's not exactly taking it if I'm offering it to you…"

"I know that, but I still can't accept it."

Sammy wasn't sure what to say, and tried desperately to think of something. Offering to help by paying was the first thing that came to mind, and honestly wouldn't trouble her all that much. But she also didn't want to force Ella to take her money, so she would have to help out in some other way.

"Look, I'm so grateful you're willing to do that for me," Ella said after the silence went on for too long. "And… maybe you're right. Maybe I need to seek help for this, if the mere thought of it drawing me back in has got me so afraid." She took another look at her arm. "But I can't use your money. It wouldn't be right. And sure, you might be willing to give it to me, but I just… it just wouldn't sit well with me. So thank you, but also, no thank you."

Sammy knew Ella wasn't going to take no for an answer. She was one of the easiest people to get along with, but when it came to things she was serious about she did not back down at all. With one last look in her eyes just to make sure, Sammy conceded. "Okay. I understand."

A sympathetic smile found its way on Ella's lips. "Thank you for understanding."

"Yeah, of course. I'll just have to find some other way to help."

Ella smiled sympathetically. "You really don't have to… But you're probably right. About how I'm just falling back on old habits. I guess I thought, because acting like a princess and cutting were two different things, it was alright to try and ignore it, especially since you could argue that it was the worse of the two. But now I see that I was just making excuses because I… I didn't want to deal with it and relive everything."

Sammy nodded. "I was just thinking that, like, if you don't try and find a way around it now, it'll get worse in the future. And…" She gently took a hold of Ella's right hand, and ran her fingers up and down her palm. "I really wouldn't want that to happen to you, you know?"

There was a noticeable pause from Ella. Glancing up at her, Sammy saw her blushing intensely and staring at Sammy playing with her hand, but made no move to take her it away. "God," she breathed. Sammy didn't stop tracing nondescript patterns across her palm. "You're so thoughtful and considerate. Have I mentioned that I really, _really_ like you?"

Sammy's grin widened considerably. "No, but the day's still young yet." They both laughed heartily at that. "Hey, listen, I'm sorry if it sounded like I was getting mad at you," Sammy automatically said without much thought. "I just wanted to make sure I got my point across, you know?"

Ella stared at her, and attempted to hold back even more laughter. " _That_ was you getting mad? Sam, I've seen you mad before, and trust me when I say, that was not mad."

But Sammy's mind was elsewhere at the moment. "Wait… 'Sam'?" she repeated. Memories of days long gone popped into her mind. Vague ones, but… happy ones.

"Ooh, yeah, that just sort of slipped out." Ella frowned. "Why? You'd rather I didn't call you that? Oh, you don't, do you? I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"No! No, uh-" she shook her head quickly. "No, it's not that. It's just…" She felt a wistful smile take over her face as the sting of nostalgia hit her hard. "That's… actually what Amy used to call me, when we were kids. Sam. Before the whole… Samey thing." _Before Dad left. Before it all went to hell._

Ella let that sink in, and nodded. "Ah." She paused for a moment. "So… is that a yes or a no?"

Sammy thought for a moment before saying, "You can call me whatever you want. As long as it's not Samey. Or… Sparemy."

Confusion slowly etched itself onto Ella's face. "…I'm almost afraid to ask but… 'Sparemy'?"

"Yeah. Another dumb nickname my sister tried to give me before she decided to turn over a new leaf. I don't even know what it's supposed to mean, but it sounds demeaning."

"It really does. Well, thankfully she's not going to be doing _that_ anymore."

"Yes, thank _god_. She's gotten so much better about all that crud now. I'm so happy I can go home and not have to worry about her doing something ridiculous, like trying to sell all my furniture again."

"Yes, you can- Wait, _e_ _xcuse me?!_ "

Sammy laughed at her reaction, and after a moment Ella started as well. She had to remind herself that, even though tensions might get high between them, that was part of friendships and relationships all the time. She may not have much experience with either, but she would learn, if it meant keeping Ella close to her.

"I, uh, need to go to the little lady's room," Sammy said after a moment. "I'll be back in a bit, okay?"

Ella nodded and wished her farewell, and Sammy quickly headed out of the flower field. It was even more beautiful now that the sun was up, and she couldn't help but admire it as she entered the forest and followed the same path from yesterday.

The confessional wasn't hard to find, and she was just reaching the front of it when it opened up, and a long dark leg stuck out of it. Jasmine exited and breathed deeply. "I think they made the stink _worse_ today," she said to herself, using her hat to fan in front of her face.

"Yeah, I wouldn't put that past them," Sammy agreed, and grinned at her friend as she turned to her in surprise. "Good morning."

"Morning," Jasmine said after recovering. "You two do alright? You didn't come back last night."

"Yeah, we were fine," she said. "The ground was tough to sleep on again, but we managed."

"Looks like you more than managed," Jasmine said, and started brushing down Sammy's clothes. "You've got dirt all over you."

She hadn't noticed it until now, but Jasmine was right. She shooed her friend's hands away and cleaned herself off, saying, "Thanks, but I can do this myself."

"Clearly you can," Jasmine said, and then gave her a smirk. "Ready for another exciting day today?"

"Ha," Sammy scoffed, running her hands over the back of her skirt. "If _this_ is what exciting is, I could use a lot less of it in my life. I actually can't wait to go back to school, because it wouldn't involve any of _this_ crap."

Jasmine took a second to stare her down in surprise, but ultimately started laughing. "Right you are! The sooner the season ends, the better." She gave Sammy an almost-sort-of proud look. "That said, you've grown."

She stopped mid-brushing and looked up at Jasmine. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, especially compared to before. You're walking and talking more confidently than ever. Plus, I don't remember you having this much bite to your bark _last_ week."

Sammy allowed herself to swell with pride, just a little bit. "That's true. Even though it hasn't been long, I _have_ grown, haven't I? So much has happened in the last week or so, shockingly."

"And for the better, too," Jasmine said. "I always figured you'd be here longer than your sister, and I was proven right. The underdog always comes out on top, after all."

"True, but it hasn't really been all that easy getting here," she admitted. "A lot of it was just through dumb luck, and even then only by the skin of my teeth." She looked up at her taller friend. "Hey, do you think this is all still worth it? Risking our butts over a million dollars like we've been doing?"

Jasmine seemed surprised by the question, but took it in stride. "Well… I can't say this is the safest thing I've ever done. Honestly it might be one of the _least_ safe. At least in the wilderness, you can kind of expect what you're gonna deal with and prepare for it. Here, it's just one thing after another, and you have no idea what you're getting into!"

"Mm," Sammy agreed with a nod. "I don't think we could have prepared for _monkeys_ of all things."

"Or lions and rattlesnakes."

"Or avalanches."

"Or _the island exploding_."

"Oh yeah. Especially the island exploding." Sammy sighed at reliving all of those moments. She raised one hand. "On the one hand, we've dealt with so much crazy stuff, and who knows what other sort of crazy stuff we're gonna deal with." She paused and raised her other hand. "On the other… A million dollars _is_ a lot of money…"

Jasmine nodded. "It really is… And that's why I'd say that going through all this is still worth it."

Sammy blinked. "You think so?"

Jasmine nodded confidently. "Yep. After everything they've thrown at us, I'm sure I'll be able to keep at it all and reach the end. Besides, there's only two more challenges 'til the finale. If I've managed to last this long, the rest of it has _got_ to be in the bag!"

"Wow," Sammy said in quiet awe. She may have been finding more confidence in herself, sure, but she'd be hard pressed to reach Jasmine's level of it in her lifetime.

"What about you?" Jasmine then asked. "Something tells me you're asking for a reason."

"Oh, ah," she stammered. "It was just something Sky brought up yesterday, and I guess I wanted your opinion on the matter. Mainly because I… ah… I _don't_ think it's worth it anymore, personally."

"You don't?"

"No. Well. Maybe, I dunno. I really don't feel all that motivated to keep going. Or rather, I _do_ , but the money isn't what's keeping me here, at least."

She looked confused by that, but it swiftly disappeared from her face. "Ohh. Say no more, sheila. I get what you're saying."

"Oh. Really?"

"'Course. And I think it's right honorable that you want to stay here 'cuz of your girl. She's lucky to have you, you know?"

Sammy mentally slapped herself for being so predictable, but couldn't help the red tinging her face or the grin spreading across it. "Gosh, you think? I dunno about that. But, I know that _I'm_ lucky to have _her_."

Jasmine cooed and actually ruffled Sammy's hair. "You two are the cutest, you know? Makes me wish Shawn was still here, if I'm being honest." She must've seen the guilt flash in Sammy's eyes, as she quickly added, "Not that I blame you of course! It's just how the game is played. Besides, I'm sure I'll see him again once this is all said and done."

"Yeah, for sure!" Sammy agreed, thankful. "You guys can exchange numbers and keep in touch and everything! Oh, right! Um, did you want to do that too, when the game's over?"

"You don't even need to ask! Of course I'd love to chat you up afterwards!"

Beaming with pure joy, Sammy literally allowed herself to jump on the spot. "Woo! Awesome! Thank you so much!" _This is gonna rock! My first time having friends I can talk to over the phone! I- I've never even entered anyone's contact info other than Amy's and Mom's. This is so exciting!_

"Easy there," Jasmine said, gently putting her hands on her shoulders to get her to stop. "That's for _after_ the show ends. Until then, we're bitter rivals duking it out until one of us drops _dead_!"

Sammy stared at her in mild horror.

"Or at least, you know, until one of us wins," Jasmine said with a chuckle. "Don't look so uptight, this is gonna be fun!"

She shook her head. "Yeah, yeah of course! May the best player win." They shook hands good-naturedly, and Sammy noted how rough and strong Jasmine's were. She tried matching that strength, but got pretty much nowhere near that. "Now, ah, I _really_ need to pee."

"Oh! Then don't let me keep you! Go on, get in there!" Jasmine effortlessly pulled Sammy behind her and towards the outhouse, which caused Sammy to almost collide with it. "Ah, shite, sorry 'bout that. Sometimes I don't know my own strength."

"Evidently," Sammy said quietly. Louder, she said, "At least you saved me from walking five more steps."

Jasmine laughed and waved her off as she walked away. Sammy smiled happily at her retreating form, thankful once more that she was able to overcome her own fears and anxieties and actually make friends. _If this is what it feels like to be loved, I don't want this feeling to end._

* * *

Sammy was nervous that the island was about to come back on and rearrange itself again before she left the confessional, but she was pleased to see that the way back to the field was just as navigable as the way from it. Upon returning and taking in the sights once more, Sammy noticed that Ella, while still in the same spot as earlier, was now turned back on to her. And as she approached her, it was becoming obvious that she was moving her hands, almost like she was working on something.

"I'm back," she said before she got too close and startled her. "What'cha making?"

Ella turned her head around and smiled warmly. "Welcome back," she said. "And it's a surprise! You're just going to have to wait."

"Ooh, a surprise huh?" She never exactly received a surprise before - or, rather, a _good_ surprise that wouldn't end up hurting her in some way - so she was eager to see what it could be. "Well, color me _surprised_!" She turned and sat back-on to Ella, who groaned lightly and shook her head in mock-disgust. After a few moments Sammy decided to scoot backwards and lean against the songbird's back. Ella did the same, and Sammy felt the warmth of someone depending on her rise in her heart. "So… What do you think they'll have us do this time?"

"Who knows," Ella said. "Probably something that's both painful and degrading."

"True," Sammy groaners. "We're so close to the end, it's only going to start getting worse now."

"Mm-hm." A pause. "I'm not exactly looking forward to it."

"No, I doubt any of us are. …Except maybe Jasmine. She's determined to win."

Ella chuckled. "No surprise there. I wonder if anyone who already lost would be feeling like we do, if they were here now?"

Sammy considered it. "Huh. I never really thought about that, you know?"

"With so much going on, you kind of forget, don't you?"

"Yeah." She thought for a moment. "I bet… Shawn would be in it until the very end. Just like Jasmine. He wouldn't let a little thing like dying stop him from winning. That would… probably be something that drives him, honestly."

"Agreed. The two of them are meant for each other, so they'd naturally have similar views about this."

"Mm… If Beardo were here, though, he'd probably be thinking the same as us. I feel like he'd start to get tired of all of this constant danger. _Unlike_ us, though, he'd probably call it quits around the time Scarlett tried to take over. I doubt he'd want anything to do with this place if he knew it was literally able to blow up."

"Yeah, that sounds like him alright." She felt Ella turn her head towards her. "I wonder what that says about us. That we _didn't_ quit."

"Huh. I wonder."

There was a brief pause as Sammy thought what exactly that _did_ say about her, but Ella interrupted it. "What about the others?"

"The others?"

"Yeah. Dave, and Leonard, and like, everyone else on the Salmons' team."

Sammy felt her cheeks flare. "Oh, I… kinda forgot all about them, truth be told." _Considering I don't see them as part of the friend group, that probably makes sense._

"Is that right?"

"Y-Yeah… Um." She cleared her throat. "I don't think I can really say much about the others, seeing as I don't know them all that well."

"Just give it your best shot."

"Well, alright." Sammy scrunched her face in thought. "Hmm… Dave seemed kinda mean when he was here. And with the germ thing, I'm not sure if he would've wanted to go on very far. If the grease didn't get to him, I'd say something gross in the balloons, or having to deal with the monkey might have."

"I see," Ella said. "Just so you know, I think you shouldn't judge him just by a few days of knowing him. I understand the things he said about us were… cold, but maybe he was just having a bad day? He might be a good person under all of that crankiness."

Sammy _did_ let Amy, of all people, have a second chance, so… "Maybe you're right. If I see him again, I'll have to properly get to know him."

"And the same with Leonard, too. He seemed… somewhat similar to myself, perhaps."

She had to concede to that, too. "True, I can see what you mean. And I wouldn't say 'no' to more friends, so I'll definitely speak with them again, if I'm able."

"That's the spirit," Ella said.

Sammy twirled her bangs in thought. "I can possibly see Leonard in our boat. He may complain about how everything on this show is stupid, if he got past that whole wizard thing, but I think he might want to try and make it to the end. Of course, I may be totally wrong, since I knew the guy for only one day, but still."

"I see, I see." Sammy heard the sound of what she thought was a flower being plucked from the ground, but Ella continued before she could think on that further. "And you said you don't really know the other team, but what about Topher? You were on his team when he was still here."

Sammy felt herself frown without meaning to. "The less I talk about him, the better. He was a creep who caused an avalanche and didn't care to apologise. He just wanted to take over Chris's job."

Whatever it was Ella was doing, she halted as Sammy spoke. "Did he now?" she asked quietly.

"Apparently. I don't even think he was ever in it for the money. That said, if he learned that Chris wouldn't hand over his job so easily and he _started_ caring for the money, then I could see him going to the end. He seems like the stubborn type." _If him refusing to get off the phone meant anything._

There was silence for a few moments, before Ella said, "He sounds like a jerk."

Sammy barked out a laugh at the language, but then was taken aback when she realized Ella _wasn't_ laughing. "W-What? Seriously? What about not judging people like that?"

"There's a difference between being a grouch, and causing an avalanche that trapped people underneath it without apologising."

"That's… fair, I suppose. Did- Did I not tell you why he did that?"

"I guess you didn't."

"Oh. I'm sorry. It must have slipped my mind, after the whole Scarlett thing."

"It's… fine. It's just somewhat troubling that he's another name to add to the list of people willing to cause harm for their own gain."

"This show seems to attract a _lot_ of jerks, doesn't it?"

"So it does. That's just the nature of the show."

Sammy looked up into the cloudless sky and hummed in thought. _I wonder what would happen to the show if someone_ actually _died? Would it be shut down? Or would the producers be just as sociopathic as the host and keep the show going for the ratings? I wouldn't put it past them, honestly._

"Right, well," Ella said, and shifted from her sitting position. Sammy had to catch herself before she fell backwards. "Let's not dwell on that and instead think about happier things. _Wait_ -" Ella quickly placed a hand on her shoulder as Sammy began to turn around. "It's not ready yet! Just a few more seconds!"

"Oh, sorry!" She turned back around and patiently waited. In truth, Sammy had forgotten all about that thing Ella was working on, and her mind raced with possibilities for what it could be.

Then Ella placed something light on her head.

Confusion on her face, she slowly brought her hands to touch it. It felt like…

_Flowers._

Sammy whirled around to see Ella beaming at her, and in her hair a crown made of the flowers surrounding them.

Slowly, Sammy took the crown from her own head and examined it. It was mostly purple, with some varying colors dotted around it, and it was all delicately woven together by their stems. She held it in her palms, afraid to even grip it lest she damage it somehow.

"This is," she started, her voice beginning to quiver. "Ella, this is _beautiful_."

"I'm glad you-" Ella stopped herself. "S… Sam?"

Sammy blinked, and felt the tears streaming down her cheeks. She let out a shuddering breath and quickly wiped them away. "I'm okay, I'm okay," she insisted. "I just… I've never received a gift like this, from anyone, outside my family at least. It… It…" As gently as she could, she put it back on her head and gave Ella a tear-stained grin. "I love it. Thank you so much."

Ella's hands were clasped in front of her, and she looked ready to cry herself. "You're welcome." She pulled Sammy into a hug, which she immediately reciprocated.

"I'm going to have to get you a gift too, now," Sammy said. "I'm, uh, not very good at arts and crafts, so I may need to buy it…"

"That's okay," Ella replied. "Whatever you get me, I'm sure I'll love it."

Sammy hugged her tightly, as if afraid that any less would cause her to drift away. _What on Earth did I do to deserve someone like Ella?_

But that tight hug became painfully tighter when the speakers roared to life, the feedback piercing their ears and causing them to wince in pain. "Sorry! Sorry about that," came Chris's voice. "Seems like every time I press this button, it-" He pressed it again, and the ringing in Sammy's ears increased tenfold. "Yep, it's definitely this button."

"You're doing that on purpose!" Sammy yelled at the sky.

Whether he heard her or not, he didn't reply. "Anyway! Time to join me at the base of Mt. McLean! Which I just named, like, five minutes ago. After me! 'Cuz I'm awesome!"

Ella uncharacteristically let out an annoyed groan. "Ugh, we get it already!" Sammy snorted at her, prompting Ella to smirk lightly.

"Long story short, get over here! Pronto!" The speakers cut off, leaving the two of them in silence.

"That was seriously uncalled for," Sammy said as the two of them stood up.

"Chris can be so mean at times."

"More like _all_ the time."

"True enough." She let out a heavy sigh. The rims of her eyes were still wet, but the sad smile remained. "Are you ready?"

Sammy frowned, and folded her arms over herself. "Honestly? No. But we don't have a choice."

"I know," Ella said. She took a hold of one of Sammy's hands. "But no matter what happens, we're in this together. Okay?"

 _I_ really _don't know what I did to deserve Ella. But whatever it was, I'd do it again a thousand times over._ "Okay."

* * *

Mt. McLean was really just a featureless mountain near the middle of the island, seemingly having sprung up from underneath at some point since the shutdown happened. There really wasn't much to look at, aside from the sheer cliff face on their left, and the drop that would most certainly hurt should they fall on the right.

Sammy and Ella greeted Sky and Jasmine, who had arrived before them. Chris and Chef were a few paces away, a little ways up the hill, and chatting to themselves as they made their way towards them.

"Hey guys," Sky said, and her eyes were drawn to their flower crowns. "Cute accessories!"

"Thanks!" Sammy said, taking a moment to readjust hers. "Ella made them herself. They're so adorable!"

Ella grinned. "I can be crafty when I want to be."

The conversation ended there before it had a chance to begin, as it seemed everyone knew what was happening next. "This is it," Sky said to them, her tone both excited and nervous. "No matter what happens, it's nothing personal, okay?"

"Right," Ella said to her. "Of course, we're still going to try to win, so don't expect us to give up so easily."

Jasmine smirked and nodded at her. "Spoken like a true competitor. Something tells me this is gonna be a fun one."

"Something tells _me_ this is gonna be another race," Sammy mentioned, looking up to try and find the top of the mountain only to come up short. _And if we were nowhere close to winning the last one…_ "They were really hurting for ideas, weren't they?" she said aloud.

"Guess so," Jasmine said, following her gaze. "'Cept this one goes vertically rather than horizontally. Completely different skill set required here."

"And allow me to guess, it's something that's right up your alley?" Ella asked with a quirked brow.

"Heh," Jasmine chuckled. "Seems like my reputation precedes me."

"Or I just expect you to already know how to deal with these sorts of challenges." Ella smiled at her. "Either works."

"Well, regardless, you're right." With a cocky grin Jasmine turned back to them. "But like Sky said, no hard feelings, right?"

Ella and Sammy shared a look, but ultimately nodded.

It was at that point that Chris and Chef joined them, and stood up on top of a nearby rock to look down at them all. "Before we begin," Chris said, and pointed at Ella. "I'm gonna need you to stop calling her 'Sam' for the duration of the show."

Both girls' eyes went wide at that. "Wait, what? You were listening in on us?" Sammy asked.

"'Course I was! What do you expect of me, to give you privacy?" Chris scoffed. "You forfeited that right when you signed the contract."

"Okay but, _why_ should I stop?" Ella asked with arms folded. "I feel like I can call her whatever I want!"

"You _are_ free to call her whatever you want - outside the show, that is. But the name 'Sam' is henceforth forbidden. We don't want viewers of seasons four and five to get confused."

"B-But that's-"

"Hush up! Any lip from you about this and it's automatic disqualification!"

Ella's mouth shut harshly, knowing when she was bested. Sammy attempted to calm her down with a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay," she said. "'Sammy' works perfectly for me."

The edge in her face lessened, and she sighed in exasperation. "It's still a stupid restriction."

Sammy playfully gasped at that. "Ella! Watch your language!"

She attempted to maintain the frown, but snorted and lightly shoved Sammy. "Now _you're_ being a jerk." Sammy merely grinned a toothy grin at her.

Chris then called for everyone's full attention, and got the cameras rolling. "Welcome, ladies, to the final four! Hope you're excited to be here! And utterly _terrified_ of what comes next!"

"Is the challenge going to be as simple as yesterday's?" Sammy asked hopefully.

"Ha! You wish!" Chris replied. "After yesterday's flop of a challenge, we're going right back to what makes Total Drama great - pain, pain, and more pain!"

"Greeeat," Sammy droned, folding her arms.

"Just so we're all on the same page, the island is currently _partially_ online," Chris announced to them. "We have some things back in working order, while others are still undergoing maintenance. What those things are," he added as Sky raised a hand, "is something you'll have to find out during the challenge.

"Speaking of: the challenge today is as follows," Chris said, and pointed upwards. "The first one of you to reach the flagpole at the top wins tonight's sponsored take-out dinner. The person who ends up in last gets to _be_ dinner for the cannon."

"It _sounds_ simple enough," Sky noted.

Chris glared at her. "Yeah, feel free to expect 'simple' if you want. No skin off my back." He turned his head around. "Chef?"

Chef reached down behind the rock they were standing on and pulled out four large, noticeably heavy backpacks, before effortlessly tossing them at the girls' feet.

"In these bags you'll find climbing gear that'll either help you scale the cliff faster, or break on you and slow you considerably." Chris told them. "So, does anyone have any questions?"

All four contestants raised their hands.

"No one? Sweet." He blew the airhorn. "Go go _GO!_ "

They all grumbled, but didn't argue as they scooped up their packs (everyone but Jasmine nearly buckled under the weight of them) and took off up the slope. Sammy struggled to get her pack on as she ran, though she managed it after a short while. Ella on the other hand had to stop so that she didn't accidentally topple over while running, and sprinted briefly to catch back up with Sammy.

"This is gonna be tough," Sammy told her as Jasmine and Sky slowly but surely made the gap between them wider. "We're going to have to do everything we can so that we both don't come in last."

"As long as it doesn't involve anything underhanded," Ella panted, "I'm ready to do whatever it takes."

"Agreed," Sammy said. "For now, I think we just keep moving as much as we can. Anything comes up, we'll work through it and try to find an advantage from it."

They tried desperately to catch up to the girls in front of them, but no matter how hard they ran Sky and Jasmine just kept going and going, the distance between them getting bigger and bigger. They needed something to help them, something to speed them up or slow the others down, because otherwise the race would be over before it truly even began.

Luckily - or unluckily, depending on how one looked at it - their help arrived.

" _SAMMY BEHIND US!_ "

In the form of robot crocodiles.

" _CRAP! RUN FASTER!_ "

The two of them pushed their legs to the limit, ascending the slope as fast as they possibly could. Miraculously the crocs kept pace with them and failed to gain on them, but it wasn't something they could keep up for long.

As they rounded a turn, however, Sammy spotted something in the middle of the path. A lone goat stood before them, munching away at something without a care in the world, and lazily looked their way as they came screaming up to it. What caught Sammy's attention was that it _didn't_ immediately bolt when they reached it, and continued to leisurely chew on the flowers sprouting from beneath a rock.

"Is that a robot too?" she asked aloud as they passed it by.

Ella looked back at it as they continued up the path. "I don't know!" she replied. "But whatever it is, those crocs will tear it limb from limb!"

"Better it than us!" Sammy shouted. She glanced at Ella and winced when she saw her pained expression. "I'm sorry, but like I said, we have to do whatever it takes!"

Though she looked like she would much rather puke, Ella nodded sternly. "W… Whatever it takes."

They refused to witness what happened to the goat, but after a few more minutes of running it was apparent that they had lost the crocodiles. It didn't sit well with Sammy's stomach, sacrificing a potentially real creature like that, but she wasn't going to let a single goat get in the way of hers' and/or Ella's victory. Not after surviving bears, avalanches, and self-destruct sequences.

 _Maybe Sky was right yesterday. We've come so far already._ Too _far to just give up. I gotta keep at it, at least for Ella's sake._

After running for several minutes, they came across their first true obstacle: a series of stone platforms in a line, surrounded by the sheer drop of the cliff, and what looked to be a log trap swinging away from them and towards the other end.

Which was exactly where Sky and Jasmine were.

" _Jasmine, look out!_ " Sammy screeched at her as the log swung directly at the back of her head.

The Australian quickly turned back to see the trap on its way back, screamed, and ducked just in the nick of time. When she was safe, she jumped over the last gap and made it to relative safety. "That was _way_ too close!" Jasmine shouted with more fright in her voice than Sammy had expected. "Thanks mate! I owe you one!"

"Guys!" Sky called out to them. "Be careful on the platforms, they're greased!"

Both of them zeroed in on the platform nearest to them, and sure enough there were footprints and skid marks along the coated surface. "OMG, I would _not_ have seen that," Sammy said. She did her best to not look down and at the ground at least 200 feet below them. "We'll have to be _super_ careful."

"How did you guys get across?!" Ella shouted across the chasm.

Sky opened her mouth again, but Jasmine quickly covered it. "Ohh no," she said. "Telling them about the grease was the one I owed them. Besides, I'm fine with giving them a head's up, but they gotta work this one out on their own!"

Sky looked upset at that, but let it slide. "That's fair." She cupped her hands over her mouth. "Good luck, you two! Try not to slip!"

 _Easier said than done, but…_ "Thanks, you guys be careful too!" They took off further up the trail, leaving Sammy and Ella on their own. "What's the plan?" Sammy asked Ella.

Ella tapped a finger to her chin, and looked from the platforms, to the other side of the ravine, to the log trap hanging high above them. "Okay, I have an idea," she said after a short second, "but it's going to be messy."

"Like, literally messy?" Sammy asked, eyeing the grease.

"Literally messy."

"Hey, I'm working up two week's worth of sweat and stink, I can handle a bit more mess."

Ella nodded. "Alright. We crawl across the platforms and shimmy our way across the gaps between them. That way, it'll be much harder for us to slip and the log trap won't hit us."

"Smart!" Sammy exclaimed, and bent down to her knees. "I'll go first."

"You sure?"

"Yep, no need to worry!" She placed her hands on the platform's surface, and almost immediately slipped and faceplanted onto it. She heard Ella gasp, and she quickly spat out any grease that got in her mouth. "Okay, maybe you should worry."

"Are you okay?!" Ella asked her.

"I'm fine, just humiliated." Sammy started scooting on her stomach, and quickly pulled herself across the gap to the next platform without taking a second to look down. "If you ignore the fact that falling here means certain death, it's not all that bad!"

"Ughh, please don't joke like that!"

"I kinda wasn't… but I'll stop talking now."

A glance over her shoulder showed her that Ella had started crawling herself, almost directly behind her. Sammy unconsciously pulled at the hem of her skirt, but then remembered she was wearing shorts underneath so it wasn't a cause for concern.

It took perhaps a total of five minutes to get to the other end, and that was five minutes of running Sky and Jasmine managed to get in before the girls could get back on their feet. As the swinging log travelled safely overhead, the girls made it to grease-less land and stood with shaky legs.

"That was," Ella said between breaths, "the most terrifying thing I've done so far."

"Even worse than getting electrocuted by an eel?" Sammy asked.

Ella opened her mouth, then closed it. "Let me get back to you on that."

"Thankfully the only things we're walking away with are shirts full of grease." Sammy tried wiping the gunk off her shirt and stomach, but it didn't really work. "Though it's not like we have time to worry about it. Let's keep going!"

Sammy took off at a sprint, Ella right behind her, and they continued their way up the mountain. Weaving between several different rock formations on both sides of them, she soon realized the inevitable. _We won't be able to catch them. Sky's a professional runner, and Jasmine's got legs for days. We… we almost have no hope of catching them by simply chasing after them. What else can we do?_

Soon, the two of them came to a straight path without any obstructions. Sammy was fit to keep going, but then Ella spoke up from behind her. "Hey, may we stop for a second?"

Sammy saw no reason to say no, other than a million dollars on the line, but came to a halt regardless. Ella placed a hand against the wall to catch her breath. "You gonna be okay?" Sammy asked her.

"I will be, yes," she replied, "just short of breath."

Figuring they might be there for a little bit, Sammy took the opportunity to rifle through her backpack. True to Chris's words, there was climbing equipment neatly stored within - a helmet, several feet of rope, and a pickaxe of all things. "Gosh, no wonder this was so heavy," she murmured, taking out the helmet.

"We should probably put those on," Ella said, eyeing the headwear. "I'd rather us _not_ get our skulls cracked open by another log trap or a random falling boulder."

Sammy's hand automatically went to her head. "But… the flower crowns-"

"Can be replaced," Ella interrupted. "Seriously, I made them in a few minutes each. I can just do it again. It won't be any trouble at all."

"Well, okay, but I don't want to just get rid of it."

"Then put it in the bag until we're done?"

She eyed the pickaxe warily. "But they might get damaged-"

" _Samantha_. It's _okay_."

Sammy frowned, but conceded. "Alright." She gingerly put her flower crown into the bag and replaced it with the helmet. Clipping it on, she watched as Ella did the same. Now, they were at least less likely to suffer a concussion should they get hurt.

"So," Ella said. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know," Sammy said, and desperately tried to think. "We have climbing gear… maybe we can scale the mountain?"

"Do either of us know _how_ to scale a mountain?"

"Well… I don't."

"Then I'm not sure if we-"

That was when the cliff wall opened up.

The girls screamed and backed away as the wall pushed in slightly, and separated like a sliding door. Inside was, astonishingly, an entire cave with a slope steeper than the normal path.

Sammy looked at Ella, whose hand was the only thing that had been on the wall. "Don't look at me," she said defensively. "I didn't push any hidden buttons."

Sammy frowned and looked up at their surroundings, where several cameras were pointed directly at them. "I wonder if Chris did this on purpose so the challenge isn't too one-sided…" She received no answer from the speakers.

"It looks like this cave goes both in and _up_ ," Ella noted, peering into it. "We might actually be able to use this as a shortcut."

"Not to play devil's advocate, but what if it ends up going down part way through, or ends in a dead end, and we lose even more time?"

"I feel at this point, it's a risk we're going to have to take."

"I guess."

Nodding, yet still apprehensive, the two ventured in with Ella taking the lead. The cave ended up ascending upwards to a shocking degree, and it was only after a few steps that their legs began to tire out. Still, they pressed onwards, with the possibility of a shortcut much more appealing than walking back to the entrance.

A few minutes of silence passed, and thankfully the floor began to level out into a more manageable slant. Ella gasped lightly and pointed ahead of them. "I think I can see daylight ahead," she said, and quickened her pace. Sammy followed suit, ready to leave this cave, and hopefully, all caves once and for all.

But of course, like everything up to that point, it wasn't that simple. Ella turned a corner, stopped in her tracks, and gasped. Harshly. She slammed her hands over her mouth, and from this angle her eyes looked ready to pop out of her head.

Sammy did not like the look of it. "What's wr-"

Before she could even get two words out, Ella hastily slapped her hands over her mouth and quickly, silently shook her head. "Quiet," she mouthed, and jerked her head to what lay beyond the corner. "Bears."

The drop to her stomach came immediately, and she could feel her heart rate start to quicken. _Bears_ , she bitterly thought. _Of_ course _it's bears. Why's it_ always _gotta be bears?!_

As Sammy began to panic, Ella took another glance down the corridor. "They're asleep," Ella continued to say in a barely audible whisper. "If we're quiet, we can sneak by."

"Will that even work?" Sammy asked. But then her mind flashed to the time with those lions and rattlesnakes, and how even though she and Jasmine had screamed at that one lion that woke up, the rest didn't even react to it. _Maybe it's a robot thing, and we've gotta be close enough to them for them to actually pick up our sounds or something…_

"We don't have a choice," Ella said to her, and pulled her around the corner.

If she didn't have Ella's hand in hers, Sammy would probably have frozen on the spot. Countless mounds of brown fur littered the area they found themselves in, lying on their stomachs and backs and breathing heavily and loudly. There were at least ten of them, and the smell was _awful_ , but it seemed they were all in a deep sleep. This was good - though Sammy's heart was ready to burst out of her chest, if she and Ella could just make it to the exit at the back of the room without uttering a sound-

" _HEY!_ _I SEE YOU GUYS HAVE FOUND OUR BEAR CAVE!_ "

Every single pair of resting eyes flew open, revealing red irises and no pupils whatsoever.

And their heads all swiveled around at the same time to look at the two of them.

_Ya know… Maybe Chris wanted us to find this room after all._

Slowly, the robots stood, growling and glaring at them. Sammy knew she had a deathgrip on Ella's hand but right now she didn't care, her mind was working a mile a minute trying to calm itself down but absolutely failing to do so. There were too many bears, they couldn't outrun them all, and pretty soon the two of them were going to be nothing more than bones on the ground. They were dead, they were going to be so much more dead than if the Chris-bots had gotten to them.

The panic was rising, far too much to contain, and she didn't know what to do. They were surrounded, and Ella wasn't about to sing again, not if she wanted to stay in the game. Sammy was at a loss, an absolute loss, and she knew that they were in an impossible situation. There was no way they were getting out of this one.

"Sammy." Over the din of the bears' growls and her own thoughts, she managed to hear Ella speak. "Sammy, listen to me. Don't panic, we'll find a way out, trust me!"

"But- But there _isn't_ a way out of this," Sammy replied, shaking her head and backing up slowly, one step behind the other. The bears, all of them on their hind legs, began approaching them, cutting off the one cave exit in front of them and their only means of escape. "We're dead. We can't- we won't make it, we won't- we won't-"

She hit a wall behind her.

A soft, furry and warm wall.

A mind-numbingly _terrifying_ wall.

She didn't even need to look up to know when to start screeching.

" _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! AAAAAAAH- AAAAH- AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!**_ "

There was nothing that could be done to save them. She screamed, and screamed, and screamed, until her throat began to ache and demanded her to stop, but she refused and kept screaming.

She screamed because they were going to get eaten, and turned into nothing more than an afternoon snack.

She screamed because there was so much she wanted to do in life, so much she hadn't discovered yet, so much time that wasn't spent with Ella away from this sickening, literal deathtrap of an island.

She screamed because when she died, she'd be leaving behind a mother unaware of what was going on, several new friends whom she wanted to see again, and a sister who no longer wanted to be her personal bully and desperately desired to be a better human being.

She screamed because this was it.

They were goners.

They were going to die.

She screamed.

And she kept screaming

And she screamed even more.

And she continued to scream…

…until she became _aware_ that she was still screaming.

_I'm not dead. Why aren't I dead? I should be dead by now._

Gradually, the shrieking died down, but she was far too afraid to open her eyes. Her throat _burned_ , and she realized she had no clue how long she'd been screaming for - her mind had shut down and she seemed to have gone into some sort of self-defence state, even going so far as to curl into a ball and lie on the floor.

She listened, and heard no growling. No roars. No gnashing of teeth. There was… the sound of something sparking? And of stuff falling to the ground? And… of Ella trying to catch her breath.

Slowly, sluggishly, hesitantly, her eyes opened. And what she saw shocked her even more than the sight of bears.

Because what she was looking at were the _robotic_ _remains of the bears._

Her eyes flew open all the way and she quickly tried to take everything in. Somehow, some way, for some reason, the ten or so bears that had been surrounding them had, all of a sudden, blown up. Several of their heads were now gone, replaced with nothing but smoke and wires. Some of them had their entire torsos missing, while a select few left nothing behind but soot-filled spots on the ground.

Needless to say, Sammy was utterly confused and still somewhat frozen in terror.

She then remembered what she had bumped into, and looked behind her. _This_ particular bear, unfortunately, had only _half_ of its head blown off, leaving its jaw hanging open and swinging in the wind.

Sammy let out a yelp and scuttled backwards as much as she could, only to hit Ella at the same time.

Ella was still breathing heavily, looking at the carnage around her with wide eyes and a red face. Sweat was pouring down her forehead, and with every second breath she coughed and rubbed at her throat. She gave a startled yelp herself when Sammy crashed into her and whirled to look at her like she was ready for anything.

"Oh my god," she said, the fright in her eyes dying down, and she spent little time enveloping Sammy in a safe, comforting hug. "Oh my god we're safe. We're okay."

"W-What happened?" Sammy asked, too afraid that the bears would come back to life if she looked away from them.

"Ah… heh," Ella gave a slightly amused, mostly tired chuckle. "Remember that time Scarlett said something about the robots'… um… auditory, things, or something?"

"Uhh…" The less Sammy remembered about Scarlett, the better, but she thought back anyway. "I think? Something about you being able to control them because your singing was at the right pitch?"

"Yeah…" She looked at the remains of the bears surrounding them. "If I were to guess, I'm pretty sure our screams were at the right frequency to blow them to smithereens."

The bear that had been behind Sammy fell backwards in a loud _crash!_ , which startled the girls. "R-Really?" Sammy asked after another moment. "How do you know?"

"When you started screaming, they stopped moving entirely and began twitching violently. I put two and two together and started screaming with you, at the pitch you were at. It didn't take long before the first one blew up, and the rest followed right along."

Sammy blinked in astonishment, looked at the rest of the bears' remains, and then down at her hands. "I had no idea I had this much power," she said quietly.

Ella laughed behind a hand, but tried to quickly regain her composure. "Okay, I think that's enough resting for now," she said, and hauled herself and Sammy to their feet. "The longer we wait, the farther the other two get."

"I guess you're right." Sammy took one step forward and nearly collapsed back to the ground.

"Oh god!" Ella gasped, and quickly righted her. "Are you okay?!"

"Still a little shaken I think," Sammy told her, straightening her arms to balance herself. "I'll… I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?"

 _No._ "Yes."

Ella seemed unconvinced. "Let's just take it easy for a bit then."

Thankfully with no more commentary from Chris (apparently the TV screen he appeared on got fried, too), the girls made their way out of the cave and back into daylight. Sammy took a breath of fresh, unpolluted air and allowed it to reinvigorate herself. Once she was sure she was good to go, Ella pointed up the path that miraculously continued towards the top, and they resumed their run for the finish line.

It was only a few moments after they started that they heard someone else screaming.

"Do you hear that?" Sammy said, stopping in her tracks and looking around. "That sounds like Jasmine!"

The two of them searched for a few moments before coming up short, but then it was Ella who had the brilliant idea to look up.

" _Oh god she's falling!_ "

" _What?!_ "

Jasmine was falling alright. Falling right towards _them_. And the only thing Sammy had time to do was to try and curl up to lessen the damage before she _slammed_ right onto the two of them.

Pain filled every one of her senses, and her forehead _ached_. Her mind was in a daze, trying to get back on track, but for the life of her she couldn't focus. After a few seconds she felt movement and heard groaning, followed by talking that she couldn't really make out. Slowly she came back to her senses, and felt two sets of hands pull her unsteadily to her feet.

"You good?" Jasmine was asking, seemingly none the worse for wear. "Sorry I fell on you, the cliff broke apart when I swung my pickaxe into it."

"It-It's fine," Sammy said, her head forming a splitting headache. "I'm okay."

"No you're not," Ella said in a whisper, eyes as wide as saucers. "You're bleeding."

"Huh?" Sammy blinked, and felt something warm and sticky fall over her eyelid. She put a hand to her forehead, winced, and removed it to see her fingertips coated in shimmering red. "…Oh."

"' _Oh_ '?" Ella repeated, absolutely shocked. " _That's_ all you have to say about this?!"

"I, uh," Sammy said slowly. "I guess so."

"Lemme see," Jasmine said, removing Sammy's helmet for her and tossing it to the ground. "I've got experience with scrapes like these." She examined the cut, as Sammy stood with one eye closed and as Ella practically fumed on the spot (or as close to fuming as Ella could get). The examination lasted less than a minute, before Jasmine pulled away and nodded. "Eh, it's only skin deep. Might be a _bit_ of a scar left over, but if I were you I wouldn't worry too much about it. You're lucky you were wearing that helmet, else it could've been a lot worse."

"Good thing we put I put it on when I did," Sammy said with a chuckle.

"All the same, it's bleeding something fierce, and the blood'll keep getting in your eye if we don't cover it up with something."

"Yeah, I'm kinda getting that sense now," Sammy said, wiping away the dripping fluid.

Jasmine smirked, and looked out over the canyon beside them. "I might signal for one of the crew to-"

" _Here_."

All of a sudden, a red cloth was shoved in Sammy's face.

"Wh-" Sammy looked at her, and saw the look of determination and terror mixed together on her face. "Ella, n-no, it's okay-"

" _I insist_."

She wasn't going to back down easily, or at all, but at the same time Jasmine wasn't having any of it. "Okay, the gesture is nice and meaningful and all," she said, and forcefully lowered Ella's outstretched hand, "but I'd be more comfortable if we had something _sterile_ to use. And that sleeve is definitely _not_ sterile. It hasn't been washed in, what, two whole weeks? And I bet it's coated in your sweat, _and_ hers'. So while it's appreciated, it's also not a good idea."

Ella looked absolutely torn. "B-But- But-"

"Ella it's okay," Sammy said. " _I_ insist."

Ella's mouth set into a hard line, and she looked ready to argue. But she only huffed out a sigh, and slipped the sleeve back over her arm. "Alright," she said quietly.

"Hey you three!" Chris's voice suddenly said, as a TV monitor lowered itself in front of them. "Guess what? Sky's made it to the top!"

Standing next to him was indeed Sky, although she looked haggard and worn out. "You, uh, might want to watch out for falling crocodile parts," Sky informed them. "Some of them may have slipped over the edge."

Sammy looked up but didn't see any. _Maybe it was the wrong edge._

"As a reminder," Chris continued, "the next two contestants to make it up here at the top are also safe. The last one gets an all-expenses-paid flight out of here!"

Sammy wiped the blood away from her eye, took a glance at Ella, then at Jasmine. The others did the exact same.

"So, uh," Jasmine said, and took one step backward. "Sorry again for landing on you. Make sure you get someone to check that out. I'm gonna skedaddle now."

"Wait, no!" Sammy attempted to jump for Jasmine, to try and hold her back, but the Australian was far too quick for her to catch.

"Sorry, girls." Jasmine called out over her shoulder as she took off up the trail. "You're great and all, but I'm not giving up my spot just so you can both stay!"

And with that she was around the bend and out of sight. The girls gawked after her, shared a mortified look between them, and sprinted off in the same direction.

When Jasmine saw them coming, she decided to pick up the pace, and progressively got farther and farther away. They lost sight of her once more around another bend of the mountain, and were intent on keeping up the pace as long as they could, but it didn't take long before the two of them came to a block in the road: namely, a wall.

They skidded to a halt, Sammy nearly crashing face first into it, and stared at it in utter confusion. "How did-" Sammy started. "Where'd she go?"

Ella looked up, and then pointed up. "There!"

Jasmine had begun ascending the rock wall with surprising speed, and didn't even seem to be using the pickaxe she'd been given. _Though I guess she would've lost it when she fell…_

"I think it's time we broke out the climbing gear," Sammy said, and unbuckled her backpack after shrugging it off.

"Oh," was all Ella said. She didn't take her pack off.

Sammy stopped halfway from pulling the rope out to look up at her. "You good?"

Ella gave her a worried glance. "I mean, we don't know how to climb a mountain. Plus, I don't think this is all the proper gear."

"I, uh," Sammy took a brief glance around them. "I get that, but I don't think we have a choice. There aren't any more paths here."

"Well, maybe there could be a hidden path, like that cave."

"Well, sure, there could be, but Jasmine's already got a lead on us, and if we take the time to look for it she could finish before we even get a chance to use it!"

"I-I know," Ella replied, "I just-"

A rumbling in the earth caused her to stop, and the now familiar noise of mechanical whirring could be heard around them. Sammy couldn't help but sigh in exasperation. "There's a path forming behind me isn't there."

Ella, looking past her, gave her a half-smile and shrugged. "I guess Chris wants to make this a close race."

"After yesterday, I'm not surprised." She put the pack back on, wiped away more blood from around her eye, and examined the new pathway. It actually turned out to be a walkway along the face of the wall, leading around it and over the canyon and going upwards slightly. "No time to lose," she said and, taking Ella by the hand, continued on.

It didn't take more than a few seconds for the first obstacle of this new path to present itself. Another, less-noticeable rumbling caused the girls to stop dead in their tracks, and backup screaming when a portion of the wall pushed out and over the edge of the path.

It stayed like that for only a second before receding back into the wall, but it was still enough to make Sammy groan. "Ugh, come on! _More_ booby traps?"

Ella snorted.

Sammy looked at her in both astonishment and bafflement. "Okay, are you _sure_ you're Ella? Because you're the last person I would've expected to laugh at that."

She merely winked at her and passed her by, easily sidling alongside the wall as it remained actually _in_ the wall. Sammy followed quickly behind, nearly tripping up as the block came out again, but nothing major came out of it.

They readied themselves for the next obstacle, which was, uniquely, exactly the same thing as last time, only moving a bit faster. "Need to time this right," Sammy said, mostly to herself, and leapt forward as the block retracted into the wall. Ella did the same without difficulty, and they were off once more.

The path ended up not circling around the whole mountain, but instead stopped abruptly. A second path, above the first, led in the opposite direction and continued upward. The girls pulled themselves up and kept going.

Chris began talking over the speakers, about how it was neck and neck between them and Jasmine, but Sammy tuned him out and pushed her legs even farther.

The next trap was a reversal of what they'd experienced - instead of a block of stone pushing outwards, it instead pushed _down_ from the rocky ceiling above them. If they were too slow, they'd be crushed.

"Same as before," Ella said, lowering herself to a crouch. "Just time it right." The block slammed into the ground, and they ran under it as it rose without any complications.

 _Now_ , both the ceiling _and_ the ground met each other, lowering and rising respectively and smashing together in the middle of their path. It wasn't very fast, but it required the girls to dive between the two pieces in order to make it to the other side. As they were weighing them down, they abandoned their backpacks and kept going without them.

And then, the final stretch - rather than continue around the mountain, the path suddenly cut _through_ it, with another cave leading inwards and upwards towards the summit. Unfortunately it went a bit _too_ upward, at such an angle that required both feet and hands to climb it.

"Maybe we shouldn't have ditched the climbing gear," Sammy observed, wiping the blood away again.

"We can't go back for it now," Ella replied, and they quickly got to work scaling the dirt path. The ground was loose enough for them to jab their fingers into, but also sturdy enough that doing so didn't pull the dirt up entirely. They climbed as fast as they could, uncaring that even more grime was getting under their nails, and kept their eyes glued for any tricks or traps Chris might have hidden in it. The caution was for naught, as there were no mines or mouse traps or anything of the like buried in the dirt.

The path slowly but surely leveled out into more manageable levels, and Sammy could see the blue sky where the cave opened up once more. "That's _got_ to be the top!" she shouted, her energies renewed. She pushed harder, sending dirt flying behind her, and scrambled onto her feet properly to run once more, with Ella alongside her.

Sammy barely noticed that the cave walls alongside them had small indents within them, but seeing as her eyes were elsewhere she didn't fault herself for it.

When a _giant boulder_ crashed down at the exit before them and started rolling their way, she wished she had realized what those indents were for.

"Go back!" she shouted. " _Back!_ "

"In the wall, hurry!" Ella, one step ahead of her, squashed herself as best she could in the tiny opening and sucked in her stomach. Sammy did exactly the same with the one on the other wall and prayed it was enough.

The boulder got closer, it's thunderous rumbling got louder, and Sammy closed her eyes just in case it turned out for the worse… and just as quickly it rolled passed them and down the path. When it was safe, the girls stuck their heads out and watched as it slipped down the steep path, disappearing from their sights and, shortly after, the cave and mountain entirely.

"I hope no one was underneath it," Ella idly mused.

"Same," Sammy agreed.

They took one whole second to compose themselves, and then resumed the sprint back up to the exit.

As if Lady Luck was on her side, there were no more obstacles they had to face. It was just a clean run up a slope and to the top of the mountain. She could even see where the cave opened up, with its ceiling disappearing while the walls remained on either side of them.

 _Almost there._ Sammy pushed her legs beyond the impossible, all so that they could both cross the line together. _Just a little more…!_

Ella was beside her the whole way, and though her face was completely red and dripping with sweat, she didn't dare slow down.

Chris continued his commentary, and Sammy blocked it out. Her mind was almost a complete blank - the only thing that mattered at the moment was the both of them staying in the game. And if that didn't happen… If that didn't happen…

 _That's not going to happen,_ she thought solemnly. _I won't let it happen._

"Faster!" she commanded, desperately forcing her legs to go even faster, if that was even possible.

"I-" Ella gasped. "I'm trying!"

They were so close to the end that she could see where the cave path ended and the summit of the mountain began. They were practically there, just a few more seconds of running. _We can do this. We can do this!_

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as they neared it, yet it seemed to simultaneously go far too fast, as all of their efforts, their trials and tribulations and pains, coalesced in that very moment.

…

…

…

And unfortunately for them,

In the end,

It didn't even matter.

" _And Jasmine reaches the top, earning her a spot in second place!_ "

…

…

…

The sentence hit her like a sack of bricks to the gut

_What…?_

_We… lost?_

Her mind, so distracted and working overtime, failed to coordinate her legs properly, and she tripped over literally nothing and once more faceplanted into the ground. She didn't bother moving from the spot as her brain tried to work out what she just heard.

_But… But we were so close! Weren't we? We could have made it! We could have both been in the final three! But… But we're not…_

It was only when Ella, who had stopped a few feet in front of her, fell to her knees and started dry heaving from the exertion did Sammy get up and support her. She gave her a shaky smile and coughed up spit.

"That," Ella wheezed, her face scrunched in pain, "could've gone better."

"That's putting it lightly," Sammy replied, swiping her fingers across her eyelid to wipe away the blood. She had the sense to try and do it with a clean part of her hand, as few and far between they were.

"In case you guys forgot," Chris yelled from the mountain's summit. Jasmine and Sky were standing with him, looking down at them sympathetically. Jasmine was breathing heavily, and her skin was glistening from the sweat. "We still need one of you for third. And the person who isn't third gets sent home!"

Sammy and Ella both glared up at him, teeth grit and growling. Jasmine and Sky did the same.

Chris shrugged off all of the eyes on him. "What? Just a friendly reminder."

The girls took a few moments to catch their breath, though the burning in their legs didn't disappear. Once Ella was able to stand again, they slowly shuffled their feet the rest of the way up the path. _And just like that, our worst fears come true. Why did this have to happen? Why did we have to lose? Why did…_

She found herself glancing at Jasmine who, aside from the breathing and the sweat, did not look any worse for wear. She glanced at Jasmine's arms and legs, which were well-toned and powerful. And she glanced at her hands, which were used to climb all the way up the cliff _without_ any proper equipment.

Sammy felt her heart sink, and she lowered her head in despair.

_Why did_ _we think we could even win in the first place?_

They stopped just in front of a line drawn in the sand by someone's shoe, marking where the summit began. The girls stared at it, unsure of what to do. What _could_ they do?

Sammy looked to Ella, and she looked right back. "What do we do?" Sammy asked quietly.

"I… I don't know." Ella said with a shake of her head. "I really, truly don't know."

"Just so you two are aware," Chris told them, walking up to them, "there is _definitely_ someone going home tonight. Neither of you are being saved by forcing legal action again."

Sammy had figured that, but hearing it out loud just made her feel even more defeated.

"What if we-"

"If you suggest you cross the finish line at the same time, we'll have you both play rock-paper-scissors until _someone_ loses."

Ella huffed and didn't finish the thought.

"So, who's it gonna be?" Chris's smile was gone and he was looking between the two of them with thinly-veiled impatience. "Clock's ticking!"

Sammy set her mouth in a line and looked away. "Just- Just give us a minute!" He frowned further, but simply shrugged and walked away.

The girls turned to each other, and neither of them knew what to say. "We really botched this one, didn't we," Ella said after a moment of silence.

"I guess we did," Sammy said. And then, without thinking, "I'm sorry."

Ella's head snapped towards her. "Don't you _dare_ say that. It's _not_ your fault."

 _It kind of is,_ she didn't say. _I'm the one who stopped us in the bear cave._ "Okay."

What were they supposed to do now? How could they even _think_ about who was going to go stay, and who was going to leave? These sorts of decisions should never be made lightly.

Sammy wracked her brain, trying to come up with something. She knew, just from who they were, that any discussion would just run around in circles, with both of them offering to be the loser while the other would be allowed to keep playing. She knew Ella would be willing to give up her chances, and Sammy knew that she herself would be the same. And neither of them would back down from it, which would just make it more difficult and tedious and probably force Chris to do something stupid, like pick a name from a hat.

 _Maybe I should just walk across to save us the trouble. Even if I don't_ need _to win… Then again, Ella doesn't need to win either, but-_

Her eyes widened.

_But it might be better for her if she did._

And then, an idea quickly formed in her head.

"Ella?"

The songbird had been lost in her own thoughts, and blinked away the cobwebs before she looked back up. "Yes?"

"I think you should cross it."

Her jaw fell open and she stared in disbelief. "What? _Me?_ "

"Yep. You."

"Wh-" she stammered, her hands moving to her head. "But, I don't understand. Why _me_? I can't go up against Sky and Jasmine! You're the better athlete between the two of us!"

"I know that," Sammy said quickly, "Just think about it, though. I really only came here to get away from Amy and to make friends, and I accomplished both of those. I don't exactly have anything more to prove, since all I wanted to do has been done."

Ella squinted her eyes. "And… I do?"

"Well," Sammy hesitated, "maybe not _exactly_ , but I was thinking… I dunno, it might be good for you to try and come in first, and show all those bullies at school who you really are, you know?" Seeing Ella ponder this, Sammy continued. "They made fun of you for how you acted, for loving your passions so much that you pretended to be a part of them. And now you have a chance to prove to them that you're more than that, that you're a capable person who can overcome hardships like this! And plus, winning might help with… like, confidence and stuff."

"Confidence?" Ella repeated. "I'd like to think I'm fairly confident already…"

"You are, yes. I was thinking more along the lines of…" Sammy briefly and unintentionally glanced at Ella's arm. "…You know, standing up to them, or your parents or something."

Thankfully, Sammy didn't need to go into detail. It caught Ella off guard, and she covered her arm reflexively. "Oh."

"If you can say that you won a million dollars on a TV show, and survived so much of it to actually _get_ there, then I'd like to believe anything is possible for you. Including… well, you know."

Ella spent a long moment organizing her thoughts, so long that Sammy sent a nervous glance at an unimpressed Chris. He tapped at his wrist, signalling a quickly shrinking amount of time left. Sammy swallowed thickly and looked back at Ella.

After another moment, Ella slowly raised her head back up. "I don't know if I'll be able to focus." She hadn't loosened the death grip on her arm.

"I know," Sammy said, recalling their earlier conversation. "But like we said, it'll only be for a day, two at most. I believe that you'll be able to pull this off, without me being here."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely positive."

She paused for another moment. "You… You really want me to do this, don't you?"

Sammy nodded vigorously. "I do, yes."

"You _know_ it's not going to be a walk in the park, right?"

"Well, no, it won't… But I have faith that you're going to do everything the best you can."

Ella sighed and gave her a wry, hesitant smile. "Me getting here has pretty much pure luck. What makes you think that luck will last?"

Sammy frowned. "Hey, you pulled your weight just as much as anyone did. Maybe you did get lucky in some parts, but every other part was because of _yourself_. Your singing helped us out plenty of times, even if Chris didn't like it, and it's because you refused to give up that you're here right now. So… you know, don't sell yourself short like that."

Ella was silent, though she conceded with a shrug and a nod.

"And besides," Sammy continued, "you're talented in your own right. Just because you're not as athletic as Sky or Jasmine or, or even me, doesn't mean you don't have your own strengths. You can sing and dance like no one's business. And what if the next challenge has a dance battle? You'd kick all our butts to next Tuesday."

Cheeks reddening from the praise, she nonetheless countered, "And what if it's _another_ race? We seem to be having a trend of those lately."

Sammy sighed, glanced over at their competition, and shook her head. "Then I guess we'd both be screwed."

Ella's frown deepened, and she crossed her arms to continue thinking. Unfortunately, it was at this time that Chris cleared his throat irritably. "I'd just like to say that if neither of you cross the line in the next minute, you're _both_ eliminated."

Sammy and Ella turned to him in shock, and then back to each other. "Well, uh, I guess it's now or never," Sammy tried to urge.

Ella's mouth was pressed together in anxiety, her breathing had become loud and quick, and her thumbs twiddled each other. She looked Sammy straight in the eye and asked, "You really believe in me? That I can do it on my own? With… Without you?"

Sammy was taken aback. _Girl, do you even need to ask?_ "Yeah, of course I do!" she answered. "With every fibre of my being."

Her smile turned abashed, and she stopped fidgeting with her thumbs. "That's very reassuring, you know. Honest." She took a deeper, longer breath, and steeled whatever nerves were eating at her. "I'll try to not… No. I _won't_ let you down."

She put on her most confident and spirited smile, gave Sammy a kiss on the lips, and with a rather unceremonious feeling in the air, simply walked forward over the finish line.

" _And Ella takes third! Meaning Samey is officially eliminated from the competition!_ "


	17. Thanks for All the Melodies

An inappropriate fanfare began playing, as if Ella crossing the makeshift finish line was some Olympics-level achievement. Applause roared from the speakers and confetti shot out from openings in the nearby rocks. All this did was make everyone (except Chris) incredibly uncomfortable. Jasmine and Sky gave each other awkward looks, while Ella turned back around to glance worryingly at Sammy.

Sighing inwardly, Sammy gave Ella the biggest smile she could muster. _I guess that's it for me. It's all on you now, Ella._

Sammy crossed the line herself and made to join up with the others, but Chris beat everyone to the punch and spoke first. "Congratulations to our new Final Three," he said, gesturing to Ella, Sky and Jasmine. At the very least, they chose to look happy at their accomplishments. "You guys'll be put through the wringer for the next two days, so make sure to savor this moment while you can." He then turned to Sammy with an obviously fake look of disappointment. "And just like her sister before her, Samey has come in last and is our next eliminated player." He tutted and shook his head. "Samey, I expected better of you than this. You could have at _least_ pushed Ella across the finish line instead of talking it out. Would've made for a more dramatic finish, y'know?"

Sammy didn't bother to hide her snarl. "The one good thing about losing now is that I don't have to deal with _you_ anymore."

He immediately started laughing. "Wow, you look _just_ like Amy there, y'know?"

She growled at him. "That's because we're _twins!_ "

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," he said without pause, and walked back over to Sky to give her her reward.

Ella approached her with a pensive look. "Are you sure this was the right idea?" she asked.

Shaking off Chris's attempt at angering her, Sammy could only shrug. "I guess we're going to find out. But I'm positive you'll pull through."

She gave a half smile. "No pressure or anything, right?"

Being someone who could understand the pain of others, she felt her own anxiety rise in response. Sammy gently placed both of her hands on Ella's shoulders. "No pressure at all, okay? If you end up losing, then I won't hold it against you. _Nothing_ will change between us. Got that?"

Ella hesitated for a single second, and it did not go unnoticed. Despite this, she grasped Sammy's hands in her own, and nodded gratefully. "I do, yes."

She was nervous, that much was for sure. And who wouldn't be? Sammy _did_ pretty much just dump all responsibility of winning on to her. But Sammy also believed in her, trusted her, and knew that she would try her best to win. If she didn't, then that was fine. They'd find some other way to help each other out.

Just as she was about to get lost in her eyes, Sammy once again felt the trickling sensation on her forehead, and went to wipe it away. When she saw that her hand had been practically stained with blood, she hastily wiped it in her skirt and gave Ella a shaky smile. "Uh, sorry," she said, gesturing to Ella's shoulder. "Kinda forgot about that."

Ella nonchalantly wiped at the spot, though there didn't appear to be anything there to begin with. "At this point, it's fine. These clothes are getting thrown out the minute I get home."

"OMG, _same_. I don't think any amount of washing is gonna get the stink out."

Slowly, Ella raised her arm and tested out her own body odor, only to pull away in revulsion. She shuddered and said, "This is most definitely _not_ how I expected my first romance to go."

Sammy laughed hard. "Mine too!"

Chris then called out to everyone that that was a wrap, and he left the summit of Mt. McLean through a hidden elevator in the rocks near the back. Left to their own devices, Sammy and Ella approached Jasmine and Sky, the latter of whom was holding a greasy bag of Prairie Oyster Palace between her finger and thumb. "I've _had_ Oyster Palace before," Sky said with a grimace. "It gave me stomach cramps for three days afterwards."

"Maybe don't eat it then?" Jasmine asked, holding out her hand underneath it.

Sky simply dropped the bag into her open palm. "Yeeeah, I think I'll stick with the berries and fruit for now."

Jasmine noticed the two girls approaching and held out the bag of fast food towards Sammy. "You want in on this? It'll probably be the last bad meal you have in a while."

Rolling her eyes, but not being able to deny the enticing smell of the burger and fries, Sammy nodded. "I'll split the garbage meal with you, sure."

Giving her a thumbs up, Jasmine began rifling through the bag. At the same time, Sky was giving her a sullen look. "So you guys decided that… you're the one going home?"

Sammy and Ella shared a glance, and they gave each other sad smiles. "We did, yes," Ella said for the two of them. "I'm not sure how… _effective_ it's going to be, but I suppose there's no going back now, is there?"

Sammy nodded along. There was no ulterior motive for her to get Ella to continue the competition - she genuinely thought it would be better for her to win and put those bullies in their place. Starting off, neither of them intended to win, but when Ella made it known that _she_ had her sights on the prize, Sammy felt compelled to help her earn it by any means necessary.

And if that meant she had to come in last and get eliminated for her to keep going, then she would gladly do it.

Maybe it wasn't the most rational decision to make - Ella had a point when she said Sammy was the more athletically-competent of the two. But winning would, honestly, do Ella more good than it would Sammy. It wouldn't be the first time the winner of a season was the underdog and came out more confident because of it, either.

"I'm positive it's going to be fine," Sammy told her. "It… won't be _easy_ ," she sent a knowing look at the other two girls, "but it'll be fine."

Jasmine, setting aside the bag for a moment, smirked at Ella. "She's right you know," she told her. "It _won't_ be easy. I'm not planning on pulling my punches just 'cuz you've never been in a fight before."

Ella paled slightly and rubbed at her arm. "I… certainly hope that there won't be a fight at all."

Giggling slightly, Jasmine nonetheless softened her expression. "I'm not actually gonna _hurt_ you," she insisted. "I wouldn't do that to you, not unless you deserved it. But don't think you can relax just yet. From here on out, I'm going all in."

Frowning, Ella merely nodded. "Right."

At that moment, the sound of a _Ding!_ was heard, and the elevator opened up once again. Chef Hatchet and a handful of interns came out; while the latter group went about their business, the cook stared straight at Sammy. "Blondie, get over here!"

Sammy blinked. "Me?" she asked, pointing to herself.

Chef raised an eyebrow. "You see any _other_ blondes here?"

Sammy looked around - no one, not the three other contestants, or the interns, or the crew members were blonde. "Uhh… Apparently I don't."

"No, you don't," Chef replied. "I need to take a look at that cut of yours. We're headed to the infirmary, on the double."

The scrape had at least slowed its bleeding, but she did have to admit that after everything that had happened, Sammy _was_ beginning to feel a little tired. "Okay," she called out to the larger man, and to her friends said, "I'll see you guys in a bit, after they're done patching me up."

"Will you be okay?" Ella asked, ever the worrier.

"Oh yeah, Chef's not as scary as he makes himself out to be," Sammy told her as she stepped towards the elevator. "Besides, I'm basically a regular at the infirmary by this point. I'll be fine!"

* * *

"Ow, _ow! OW!_ "

"I _told_ you it was gonna sting," Chef grumbled, gingerly applying the disinfectant to her forehead. "Now sit still and keep quiet!"

Tensing her muscles, Sammy sat as still as she could as Chef continued to dab the cotton swab against the cut. It hurt like _crazy_ , but after everything that had happened, she wasn't about to let _this_ be the one to get the best of her.

Soon enough, Chef took the swab away and placed a sterilized bandage over the wound. Now that it wasn't being disturbed, the pain gradually faded, and Sammy allowed herself to sigh in relief. Now all that was left was to let it heal fully.

"Thank you," she said to Chef as he took a seat at his desk.

"It's what I'm paid to do," he said dismissively. He opened up a kit on the desk and then tossed a small packet of alcoholic wipes at her. "Here. Scrub your hands down."

Sammy nodded in response, and began cleaning. A lot of the blood was dried on, but it came off easily enough with a bit of elbow grease. When she was done, she tossed it into a nearby garbage bucket and leaned backwards on her now-fresh hands.

She stared at the tent's ceiling for a few moments, and couldn't help but let her mind wander. This was going to be the last time she was in the infirmary, she realized. Which, obviously, was a good thing. A _great_ thing, even. And that also meant it was going to be the last time she was going to get any injuries from this godawful show, which was nothing short of a _blessing_.

That said, didn't they usually have some or all of the cast members come back for the finale? What were the chances she could get hurt _again_ before this whole thing was over?

_Those chances are… actually pretty high. Darn it._

"You listening?"

Sammy was snapped out of her thoughts by Chef. "Yeah," she said.

"Alright, 'cuz I'm about to tell you something important."

Sammy raised her brow at him. "Which is…?"

"Hold up," he said. "Don't let anyone know that you know what you're in for, and if someone _does_ find out, you didn't hear it from me. Got it?"

Sammy frowned at that. "Uh… Okay."

Chef took a look out of the tent, both to the left and the right of the entrance, then turned back and sat down once more. "So. The cannon."

 _That_ got Sammy's full attention, and she sat up completely to listen.

"That thing is _trouble_. I told Chris and the producers it was taking things too far, 'specially after the catapult and that goddamn _toilet_ , but they weren't listening. We're lucky it hasn't caused any actual injuries yet, aside from causing one kid to soil his pants."

Sammy cringed at that. "Ugh! TMI, man!"

Chef continued as if he didn't hear her. "What you're gonna experience ain't like no ride you've ever been on before. The cannon shoots you out at about 160 kilometers an hour-" Sammy gulped in fright, "-and is aimed at a giant net on an island to the northeast of here. The flight itself won't take long and it'll be over before you know it, but make sure to tuck your arms and legs in before you land so you don't hurt anything. There'll be crew working with you the second you touch down. They'll help calm you down and provide a comfort blanket, then they'll guide you to the area where everyone else is at."

"Where _is_ everyone else?" Sammy interrupted.

Chef quickly shook his head. "There are just some things I'm not allowed to talk about. But I'm sure you have _some_ idea."

Sammy hummed in response, but understood what he meant. _Please be another five-star resort. Give us_ something _good after being on this stupid island for two weeks._

"Anyway, my advice?" He sat up straight and turned once more to his desk, grabbing a pen and writing on a few sheets of paper. "Grab a'hold of the net, so that it doesn't bounce you back up. And the second you get with the others, brush _and_ floss your dang teeth. We don't need you kids losing anything on account of the show."

Sammy covered her mouth self-consciously, but her mind had another question for her to ask. "Can I ask something else?"

"Shoot."

"Why exactly are you telling me this?"

His pen stopped, and he breathed deeply. " _That's_ because after every damn thing this island threw at you, you at least deserve _something_ because of it. And that was the best I could do."

Unwittingly, Sammy found herself smiling at the older man. _Guess he really_ does _have a soft spot for kids. This guy is_ leagues _more likeable than Chris. Why isn't_ he _the host instead?_

"Thank you, Chef Hatchet," Sammy said earnestly. "For that, and this," she tapped at the bandage above her eye, "and all the other times I've been in this tent. I - and my health - greatly appreciate it."

Chef chuckled under his breath and waved a hand. "You're welcome. And you're free to go. And don't go tellin' anyone what you just heard!"

"Sir, yes sir," she said, lazily saluting to him and heading through the exit.

* * *

After getting directions from an intern, Sammy soon found herself back at the flower field. It hadn't changed or moved since that morning, and Sammy took the opportunity to commit it to memory better than she already had. If this was the last time she was going to be there, she needed to remember this as best as she could. _If only I had my phone with me, I'd at least be able to take a picture…_

She didn't have much time to take a mental photograph, however, as the Final Three were seated in the center of the field, and were waving and calling her over. Sammy jogged up to them and sat alongside Ella and Jasmine. "How'd it go?" Ella asked the second she reached them.

"Just fine," Sammy said, pointing to the patch on her head. "Nothing drastic, just a bit of disinfectant and a bandage. It'll scar, yeah, but it's not something I'm worried about." _And also not something a little makeup can't fix._

"Good to hear," Jasmine said, and offered her the bag of takeout. "Now what would you rather - burger or fries?"

She heard and felt her stomach growl, and eyed the bag hungrily. "Haven't had breakfast yet, so whatever's more filling."

"Burger it is, then." Jasmine fished it out and tossed it to her, and Sammy caught it, only fumbling just a little.

She removed the wrapper and tore into it, not caring that she was getting ketchup and mustard all over her face. She barely managed to catch Ella's and Sky's only-slightly disgusted expressions, and covered her mouth instinctually. "Sorry, I'm famished. I swear, this show is making me lose weight with how little food there is to eat."

"And at how unvaried it all is," Jasmine agreed. She took the fries from the bag and plucked a few out of their little cup. "You're not gonna get a balanced diet by eating fruits and veggies alone. You need some well-cooked meat to make sure you're working properly, and _that_ has been sorely lacking here."

"I beg to differ, actually," Sky said, munching away at a banana. She had her head turned up in the air proudly. "As a vegetarian _and_ an athlete, I can say for certain that meat isn't entirely necessary for a well-balanced diet. You just need protein from other sources, and those aren't hard to find."

"What sorts of other sources?" Ella asked, flicking a few berries in her mouth.

"Dairy products, like milk and yogurt are good," Sky told her. "Also eggs. Cheese, broccoli, spinach… There's actually quite a bit, if you take the time to do the research."

"Wow, I never would have considered all of those as substitutes," Sammy said with a mouthful of slightly stale beef. "Then again, I'm happy being a carnivore, so it really had no reason to cross my mind to begin with."

"That's the spirit," Jasmine said with a laugh.

"I'm kind of curious, actually," Ella said to Sky. "I'm aware there are differences between vegetarian and vegan, but I'm not sure what they are."

Sky grinned at her, and Sammy could tell that the floodgates were about to open. "Then allow me to educate you."

The conversations went on from there, light and easy and not tense whatsoever, and it almost felt to Sammy that there _wasn't_ any million dollar reality TV show competition currently happening. This felt… _natural_. This felt _good_. This wasn't normal, because normal for her was keeping your mouth shut so you don't get ridiculed. But if this could become a _new_ normal - talking with friends about anything and everything - then Sammy could accept that. She'd _gladly_ accept that.

By the time they realized, several hours had passed. The sun was beginning to fall towards the horizon, and the bright blue of the sky was turning a bit more yellow. "Guess it's almost time," Sammy noted, trying not to let the worry be too apparent in her voice.

The mood quickly turned somber, and the Final Three gave her saddened glances. Sammy hadn't meant to turn everything on its head, but she supposed sooner or later that was going to happen anyway.

With a yawn and a stretch, Jasmine rose to her feet, the empty bag of fast food crumpled up in her hands. "I'm gonna find someone to dump this with," she said to the girls, and began walking away. "Thanks for the company, ladies. I'll see you lot at the campfire tonight." With an affectionate ruffling of Sammy's hair, she left the field.

Trying to put her disheveled hair back into place (though after ten days of being unable to wash it, that was likely not going to happen), Sammy thought for a moment. "I think I'm gonna find the confessional," she said. "I've got some stuff I wanna get off my chest."

Ella smiled at her and nodded. "Did you want to meet up afterwards?"

"Yeah, of course I do!" she agreed, and stood. "I'll see you two later, then." She waved goodbye to her and Sky, and made for the woods.

By now, it was fairly easy to navigate her way to the outhouse, with mostly everything shut down and such. She passed no one along the way, and took in the standard forest sights once more. This was the sort of scenery she'd never tire of, even if she was a city girl at heart. _I can't wait to get back to civilization_ , she thought. _And my own_ bed _. God, it's been too long. And… so much has happened here._

She said as much to the confessional's camera after she plopped down on the seat. "I had _no_ clue this much change would happen when I first landed on the island. Back then, I was absolutely _certain_ things would go the way they always were - Amy controlling me and manipulating the others to think poorly of me, and my own lack of self-esteem allowing her to do that. It's happened so many times before that I had already accepted my fate before it even began…"

She smiled warmly, and her mind's eye drifted back into her memories. "But then I met Ella. And Sky, and Jasmine, and Beardo and Shawn and they all… lifted me up, when I was forcing myself down. They were some of the _first_ people who chose me over my sister, and helped me realize my own potential and that I could be more than what I was. With them backing me up, I was able to stand my ground and break away from Amy's control, and I have _never_ felt more free! I… I owe them _so much_. I don't know how I could ever repay them.

"That said… This show wasn't just an eye-opener for me. It was the same for my sister, and Ella too. Amy finally confronted herself about being a bully, and vowed to stop treating me like dirt. I guess time will only tell if she plans on sticking with it, but… I have a feeling she will. She'll probably need help, and I'm willing to give it to her, but like I've told her, she's far from forgiven. I wonder what life at home will be like now that I don't have to start worrying about her tormenting me every time I leave my room…

"And Ella… When I first met her I wasn't sure what to make of her. The way she acted was so unlike how anyone else I knew acted. It wasn't _weird_ , per se, but different enough that it stood out to me. But her positivity was _such_ a nice change of pace from how my life used to be, and somewhere along the way I guess… I guess I fell for her. Crazy, huh?

"That's not to say she wasn't without her own issues. Because of her parents, she leaned a bit too heavily on playing the role of a princess, and because of _that_ the other kids at school bullied her, and… well, one thing led to another. I don't think for a second that I'm her 'cure', but I do intend on doing everything I can to help make it easier on her. If she wins, there probably won't be any trouble with that. If she doesn't… well, we'll figure it out."

Sammy sighed, and leaned her head against the back of the outhouse. "We all have our problems. Not just us three, but everyone. You don't know what the person you pass by on the street is dealing with. They could be suffering from something, or they might have just lost a loved one. It helps to be sensitive to other people's issues, to be _empathetic_ towards their issues, so don't just judge someone based off of their outer layers. People are far, _far_ more complex than that." She paused and ran that through her mind once more. "Honestly it just sounds like I'm pulling all of this out of thin air, but it's something I, myself, need to work on. I need to give people more chances to prove themselves, I think, just like I did with Amy. And I'll start with everyone else who I never really got to know."

Wrapping up, she exited the confessional and saw Ella sitting by a tree a little distance away. She was looking at something in her hands, and though she was a few paces away Sammy could tell what it was. Or rather, what it had been.

"Our flower crowns…" she said sadly upon approaching her. She was worried this was going to happen - there had been too much running during the challenge that they must have ended up crushed against the pickaxe with each step they took. And of course, throwing it aside part way through and forgetting about it almost entirely didn't do it any favors either.

"An intern delivered them to me," Ella said, her eyes not leaving them. "It's a shame, but I can easily make more. It wouldn't be a problem."

"I know it won't," Sammy said, but then she looked upwards. "That said, maybe hold off for now. I don't think a hand crafted accessory would survive the, uh, the trip out of here."

Sighing and placing the crowns on the ground, Ella stood and brushed off her skirt. "I suppose it wouldn't, no."

"We can make them when we meet up again after the show's over," Sammy offered.

"That would be lovely," Ella replied with a smile, and then gasped. "Oh! I know of a cute shop near my apartment where we could buy the flowers. It's not even a ten minute walk!"

"Ooh, that sounds great!" An idea popped into her head, and choosing to go right for it, Sammy smirked. "Speaking of a walk, did you uh…" She motioned deeper into the forest. "Want to go on a walk with me? Together? Just the two of us?"

Ella stared for a few moments, then snorted and turned away to laugh. "Was that an invitation for a date?!"

Sammy blushed and covered her face. "I-I mean, I guess so! It just came out of nowhere!"

"Ahaha!" Despite her embarrassment, Sammy revelled in the sound of Ella's laughter. It quite honestly felt like it could extend her life by years. Ella took a hold of Sammy's hand and pulled her along to start their walk. "Well _I_ thought it was quite charming. Now c'mon, let's go by the beach for a while. I want to watch the sunset with you!"

"Oh! That's a great idea!" Sammy agreed, happy that her awkwardness had been taken in stride. Hand in hand, a smile on their lips and a cheerful conversation they easily found themselves lost in, Sammy and Ella made their way away from the confessional, and hoped to spend the evening with each other one last time, before they lost their chance.

* * *

Perhaps a bit unnecessarily, Chris brought everyone to the campfire pit rather than take them straight to the cannon. He said something about them needing to get in another iconic elimination ceremony moment before they ran out of people to eliminate, but to Sammy he was just delaying the inevitable.

"Marshmallows for Sky, Jasmine, and Ella," he said, tossing each of them a treat of delicious safety. "And a big plate of _nothing_ for Samey."

"Would it kill you to call me by my real name for once?!" she asked him venomously.

"Yes," he answered plainly. "Yes it would." She rolled her eyes and chose to end it there. "Anyway, we all know the drill: Samey, _as the loser_ , will become our next willing human cannonball and leave this island for the foreseeable future. If anyone has anything left to say, do so now, or forever hold your peace or… whatever."

Without so much as a warning, Sammy was bombarded by three bodies, all tackling her in a hug - first Ella, then Sky, then Jasmine, who lifted the three of them up off of the ground. "Ah- guys!" Sammy cried out, half in surprise and half in laughter.

"We'll miss you!" Sky said. If Sammy didn't know any better, she'd say Sky was on the verge of breaking down. "I'm sorry you have to leave _now_ of all times!"

"It's okay," Sammy told her. "It was probably gonna happen eventually anyway."

"When we get off this island, I am _so_ giving you my phone number."

"I'll hold you to that!"

"You be careful out there, y'hear?" Jasmine said. "I have no clue where you're gonna end up, but you take care of yourself!"

"I will, I promise!" She found it slightly difficult to talk, given how smushed together they were, but she didn't care.

Strangely, despite everyone pouring their hearts out, Ella remained silent. Before Sammy could ask her about it, Chris had the group hug broken up, and directed them all to the lower cliff.

Sammy had been incredibly apprehensive about the cannon - she never knew if she was going to be its next victim, or if she got the chance to fret over it for another day. Now that she _was_ going to be its next victim… she really didn't mind. She did everything she wanted to do, _needed_ to do. She survived the island blowing up, being crushed under an avalanche, was trapped by a bear and escaped it, and, among it all, confronted with and made peace with her sister, and found a kinda-sorta girlfriend in the mix of it all. After experiencing so much in the course of a week and a half… Sammy found she wasn't as scared of the Cannon of Shame as she thought she'd be.

Chris and Chef were standing next to it, while Sky, Jasmine and Ella were standing behind her. Sammy stared up at it, and though it dwarfed her in comparison, she didn't cower from it.

"Any last words?" Chris asked her. "Because we're running low on time."

Sammy nodded, and turned around to her friends. They were all in various states of dismay, but were putting on wide smiles to make it seem like they were not. Feeling herself about to become overwhelmed, Sammy said to them, "Thank you guys so much for your support these last few days! I honestly don't know where I'd be right now if it wasn't for all of you. You guys helped me through so much and I don't think I can _ever_ repay any of you. I-"

She was interrupted by Ella rushing forward and throwing herself on her once more.

"Hey…" Sammy said softly.

"Please don't go," she whispered. Sammy almost immediately felt the droplets of tears on her shoulder. "I already miss you."

Sighing yet smiling, Sammy wrapped her in her arms in the best hug she could give. She knew Ella had been holding back, but didn't fault her for it. Sammy would be feeling the same way if their positions were reversed. "I know. I miss you already too. But you're going to be okay. It's just two days, tops. You'll see me again soon. And it doesn't matter if you win or lose - I'll still love you and still be proud of you no matter what." She pulled away and looked Ella in her beautiful brown eyes, glistening with sadness and sorrow. "I believe in you. You can do this on your own. Okay?"

Ella took a moment to gather her thoughts, and in the end she simply nodded. "Okay."

They shared a tender kiss, longer than any other one they'd shared, because they knew that the moment of truth was upon them. Ella would have to go it alone, against two of the game's strongest competitors. Sammy knew she'd be able to hold her own, and that great things could happen when she put her mind to it. And though she was somewhat anxious, she chose to push through that anxiety rather than dwell on it. It would be good if Ella won, obviously, but she promised herself that Ella came first and foremost before any sort of monetary prize.

The kiss had gone on a little longer than it had any right to, but Sammy didn't want to pull away. When she felt that she _had_ overstayed her welcome, she planned to pull back, but before she could she heard from behind her, "No no, give them a few more seconds. This'll boost the ratings for sure."

Her eyes burst open and she swiftly pulled away at the same time Ella did. "Yeah I think the cameras have had enough."

"Agreed," Ella said, sending a glare at Chris.

"What?" he asked innocently. "Only in some countries!"

Sammy rolled her eyes and groaned. _Leave it to Chris to be a creep._ Nonetheless, she set that aside and focused on what mattered. She shared one last lingering look with Ella, gave Jasmine and Sky one last wave goodbye, and accepted the helmet Chef Hatchet held out for her as she walked by him. He didn't say anything; he simply nodded, to which she did the same.

He helped her up and into the machine. It was cramped and cold and, now that she was actually in it, beginning to fill her with dread. Her mind was trying to get her to think that this was a mistake, that she should hop out and make a break for it and stay far, _far_ away from the danger.

Her younger self might have done that, might have given in to the flight part of her fight or flight response. But now, she knew she had to do this. There literally were no two ways about it.

She locked eyes with Ella once more, and tried to give her a comforting smile. Teary-eyed though she may have been, she sniffed loudly and nodded as bravely and resolutely as she could.

_You're gonna do great, Ella. I know you will._

"Say hi to your sister for us!" Chris called up to her.

Sammy looked down at him, and smiled sweetly. "Yes!" she said to him. "Yes I will!"

He narrowed his eyes at her, muttered "Whatever," and went for the button on his remote.

Sammy quickly sucked in a breath, closed her eyes, and prayed for the best.

_This whole experience could have been better in some parts…_

_But in other parts, it was more than perfect._

…

…

…

_**BOOOOM!** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright then! Thank you for reading this far into my story!
> 
> Originally I had been posting exclusively onto FanFiction.net, and part way through I began uploading to AO3 before mysteriously stopping (and even I don't have an explanation for why that happened). I knew I did want to have this story on this site though, so I powered through and uploaded every chapter I've published so far. I've been told it's a good fic, so I'm really hoping that I get some interested people to stick until the very end.
> 
> Speaking of, the very end will be very soon! I'm expected to put up the next few chapters soon, and the finale is right around the corner. So be sure to keep an eye out! It might be any day now!
> 
> I also want to mention, this series has a TV Tropes page! So if you're interested, you can head on over and add some tropes to it! I always love seeing new things added there, so feel free to do so if you have the time!


	18. The Cast Came Back the Very Next Day

160 kilometers an hour was _a lot_ faster than she was expecting.

" _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!**_ "

The pitch black of night made it impossible to see where she was going. The wind in her ears was giving her a headache. The speed she travelled at was actually pulling her face backwards a bit, and her cheeks flapped around in the wind.

All the while, a single thought repeated itself over and over in Sammy's mind.

_I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die-_

She was _ridiculous_ for not being more afraid of that thing. Cannons have killed people before, and it didn't matter whether it was from shooting them out or by shooting something _at_ them. How on earth were the producers able to get away with doing this for a whole season? Never mind the catapult and toilet from the last couple of seasons…

But that was neither here nor there. What was most important was, of course, _not dying_.

It wasn't a long trip at all, truthfully - the fear made it feel longer than it actually was. Quicker than she was expecting, Sammy spotted several colorful lights below and ahead of her, all clumped together in a sea of darkness, and it wasn't very long before she was headed right towards it.

" _CRAAAAAAAP!_ " she screamed. The helmet she was wearing was going to do _nothing_ to help her.

But then, she spotted it: as she got closer, she noticed that some of the lights - four regular-colored lights arranged in a square-pattern, to be specific - were separated from the rest, and as it turned out _that_ was what she was truly aiming for. The lights were, thankfully, bright enough to illuminate exactly what was between them.

The net.

Chef Hatchet's words popped into her head, and Sammy quickly tried to flip herself over so she could land on her back rather than her face. She managed it, and just in time.

The net caught her, and both it and she went down, down, _down_ , so far down that she thought she'd touch the ground.

And then, for the longest second of her life, Sammy sat there in the net, heart pounding in her chest, eyes wide and sweat pouring off of her forehead. Being a human cannonball was, officially, The Worst Thing Ever and she was _never_ doing that again.

Then the net started going back up.

" _No no no no no-_ "

Almost instinctively, Sammy took a hold of the net's ropes in an iron grip. The net rose up at an equal speed to how fast it went down, and Sammy felt herself become weightless as it stopped, and then went back down once more. This kept up for another few bounces, yet she refused to let go and get sent flying off.

And within no time at all, the movement died down entirely. Sammy sat there, her hands unable to open as she did her utmost to calm her quick breaths.

 _That was… Dear_ God _that was_ horrifying _! I'm never doing that again! Never! Never in my life!_

When it was clear that nothing else was going to happen, her hands gradually released the net, and she felt herself finally beginning to relax. "Please let that be the last life-threatening thing I ever have to deal with," she said quietly to no one.

Now that she wasn't about to become a red smear on the ground, the rest of her senses started working again. Her ears picked up the sound of the thumping beat to a rather loud techno song, while her nose was telling her that someone was barbecuing nearby.

And then her gut immediately made her go into overdrive. " _Food_ ," she spoke as if in a trance. Her stomach nearly _roared_ , the rotten burger from earlier having done very little to sate her appetite. She tried to get up and go to where the real, _actually real_ food was, but the net was awkwardly dipped down and didn't make for a good climbing surface. "Hello?!" she screamed out into the darkness. "Is anyone there?! Please, someone help me! I can't get out and I'm _starving!_ "

The moment she finished her pleas, one of the bright lights turned off with a loud _Clack!_ , like the sound of the lights in a football stadium. Sammy whirled around to see what was going on and, thanks to being illuminated by the rest of the light, spotted a person on the top of it.

"Hey!" a girl's voice called out. Other than the red intern shirt she wore, she had a head of short brown hair and a worried look in her eye. "Are you okay?! Nothing hurting?!"

Sammy took a moment to take in how she physically felt - aside from being winded and anxious, no, she wasn't hurt. "I'm not, no! Just… worked up, I guess! And hungry!"

There was a pause. "Okay, don't worry, that's normal! We're going to tighten the net now so it's easier to walk on! It's gonna move up _slowly_ , so it's _not_ going to send you flying again. Are you okay with that?"

 _Bless this person I know nothing about who is still looking out for my well being._ "Yes, that should be fine!"

"Okay!" Another pause, longer than the last, but with a jolt the four light structures around her came to life and began making a grinding noise. Soon the corners of the net were being hauled into the structures, causing Sammy to rise up as the rope around her began to be pulled taut.

A minute or two of that, and the rope was now a tight, immobile surface suitable for moving on. "All good?" the intern shouted to her.

"Yes!"

"Excellent! Now try crawling over to me! The gaps aren't big enough for you to fall into, but it's still easier to crawl!"

"O-Okay!" Sammy slowly got onto her hands and knees and made her way to the intern. The lights were bright enough to show her exactly where she needed to put them, but wasn't so bright as to blind her. Once or twice there was a misstep, and her heart rate nearly skyrocketed again. But through the din of the music playing she was actually able to hear the waves of the ocean. _Maybe we're above the water? It'd hurt less than hitting solid ground, if I fell now._

Without too much difficulty, Sammy made it to the intern, and was pulled onto the structure with her. She accepted the squeezing hug Sammy put on her - _She's probably used to this by now_ , she belatedly thought - and allowed her a few moments to calm down.

"Thank you," Sammy let out in a wheeze.

"You're welcome."

"I don't want to do that again."

"None of the others did, either."

 _The others._ Sammy's eyes were drawn to the sound of the music, and she felt her draw drop.

"The Playa des Losers?"

She hadn't noticed it until now, since she had other things on her mind. Now that she was fully aware of its existence, the intern broke off from the embrace and moved aside so Sammy could take a better look at it. It looked… almost exactly the same as the previous one, the one that got blown up in season five, yet was remarkably intact and undamaged. Even in the dark, she was able to make out the front docks and the chairs and umbrellas lining the beach on its perimeter, as well as the palm trees near the resort's entrance. From behind the building, two or three spotlights of constantly changing colors moved back and forth, and combined with the music Sammy easily figured that a party was currently going down.

"Wow," was all she could say, dazzled by the sights.

"'Wow' is right," the intern said, somewhat humorlessly. "This is the fifth night in a row Beardo's played at full blast."

Sammy involuntarily gasped. "I want to see him! And the others!"

Almost as if anticipating this, the intern nodded, and she stamped on the floor of the structure twice. A second later and the grinding noise started up again, but this time something came out of the side in several sections, before finally forming what appeared to be a giant set of stairs and a handrail.

"We can make our way down now," the intern said. "I'll walk with you."

"Thank you," Sammy said again. Her legs were wobbly from her flight, so she leaned on the intern for balance. She also found it somewhat rude to keep referring to her as 'the intern'. "Um. What's your name?"

She seemed mildly taken back by this. "Sarah."

"Thank you, _Sarah_ ," she corrected herself. "I'm Sammy."

Sarah laughed. "I know."

And Sammy felt herself blush. "Oh. Right. Sorry."

"Hey, it's nothing to worry about."

There were a lot of steps to take before they reached the ground, so it was good to have the support of someone else. Sammy was thankful the rest of the crew were nicer and friendlier than _Chris_ was. As they walked down, Sammy undid her helmet and handed it to Sarah, who gladly took it off her hands.

"You know, you really rocked it out there, back on the island," Sarah said to her after a bit.

That was the last thing Sammy was expecting to hear so soon after landing. "I did?"

"Yeah! I was on site a few times during the challenges, and I saw you win it for your team during episode five. You were pretty cool!"

Sammy vaguely recalled that the only time she had actually won for her team was that water-jousting challenge. "Oh, you saw that? I had assumed you were like, stationed to this place or something." The fact that Sarah wasn't an intern Sammy recognized helped that assumption.

"Nah, we get swapped out every now and then," Sarah admitted, seemingly not caring that she was revealing the behind-the-scenes framework of the show. "But seriously, that was a _really_ good moment you pulled off. Really inspiring, y'know?"

Sammy took a glance at her, to see her grinning widely. "You think so?"

"I know so! Winning against the person who made your life hell? That's gonna make a lot of people stand up to their abusers at home, mark my words." She laughed. "Actually, it's got some of the others talking about going against Chris at some point. But, uh, you didn't hear that from me."

"OMG," Sammy breathed, stunned. "I'm inciting a rebellion."

Sarah burst out laughing just as they hit the beach. There were several other interns here as well, some she thought she knew from the island, but still didn't know their names. The second her foot touched the sand, one of them approached her with a blanket. "Here, take this," he said, offering to put it over her shoulders.

"Oh, um, thanks," said Sammy, letting him do so. She immediately wrapped it around herself the moment she felt it. "Ah- Ohhh, wow, it's _heated_ …"

"Feel good?" the new intern asked.

" _So_ good!" Sammy nearly yelled. She would have never, in a million years, think that she'd be able to become so excited at the mere touch of a warm blanket. "I-I can't remember the last time I felt anything like this! It's heated, and so comfy! All the blankets on the island were itchy and had gross stains but this- ohh, my _God_ what else have I missed?!"

"How about something to drink?" asked a third intern, approaching them with something in her hands. "We have three choices of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, made just for you."

Sammy was _literally_ on the verge of tears. "OMG!" She chose the hot chocolate and was about to chug it when the intern told her it was still too hot for that yet. Instead she sipped it, and even if it was only a small taste, it was easily the _best_ drink she had _ever_ had.

"How about we get you inside?" Sarah asked her. "You're probably going to want to shower. And clean up in general."

 _Shower._ Sammy inhaled sharply. "Yes! Oh, but, um- I want to see my friends first. And also eat. I'm still starving."

The interns nodded, and they escorted Sammy into the resort. The music got louder as they neared the door, but Sammy wasn't able to pick out what song was playing. It was likely she didn't know it to begin with. _Then again, DJs are_ supposed _to know a lot of songs, so that's no surprise._

The entrance to the resort was tasteful, and not as full of pictures of Chris as she was expecting. A red carpet guided the way to the stairs, which split off into two and led to a landing above her that looked to go around the entirety of the foyer. A few doors to her left seemed to lead to some additional rooms, while the right housed a hallway that led further in. Sarah and the interns brought her down the hallway, which also had a red carpet running through it, and several different doors on the left and right. Some of these were bathrooms - Sammy was glad to note that both of them were gender neutral - while others led to more specific rooms, such as a 'Prop' room and a security room.

One more left at the end of the hall, and Sammy was presented with another set of doors, these bigger than the others and isolated from the rest. By now, the music was near deafening, and it was quite apparent that it was coming from the other side. Without much fanfare or anticipation, Sarah pushed open the double doors and allowed Sammy to walk out.

What she saw caused her jaw to drop once more. A giant pool sat before her and took up a large chunk of this area, wrapping around a couple of different bars. There were several diving boards of varying heights at one end, while at the other was a set of stairs leading into the shallow part of the pool. More reclining chairs were placed near the pool, and a hot tub was situated not too far from the resort itself.

But Sammy wasn't focusing on any of that - what she was looking at were the _people_.

Nine of the previously eliminated contestants were out here, in their swimming gear and enjoying themselves.

Some of them she spotted right away - Beardo was at a DJ booth at one end of the pool area, eyes closed and mixing away at whatever song was currently playing. He looked like he was having the time of his life.

In front of the booth was Rodney and another boy, whom from the height and lankiness she assumed was Leonard without his wizard stuff, bopping to the song and hollering loudly.

Shawn was off to the side, alone as usual, with a drink in his hand and nodding to the beat of the music.

In the pool was Max, choosing to recline on an inflatable chair and drift lazily around as he listened.

Dave was also reclining, but in a chair along the deck. Contrary to what Sammy remembered of him, there was actually a smile on his face. A book was laying alongside him, indicating that he probably put it aside to listen to the music.

At what appeared to be a snack bar was Sugar, a large plate of food in her hands. She meandered over to the DJ booth and bumped her hip against Leonard's, who nearly went flying off to the side.

On the end with the diving boards was Topher, who seemed to be talking to himself as he was climbing up to the tallest one. She couldn't hear him over the music, but he seemed to be narrating to himself as he prepared to jump.

And there, sitting at the juice bar in one section of the pool, was her sister. She was keeping to herself and facing in towards the bar, sipping on a drink.

As of the moment, no one had noticed her. Which was fine, for now at least. She still had to take everything in.

"Holy-" The rest of her sentence got cut off from the change in the song, from a techno one to… another techno one, but one with a faster beat and a more cheery melody.

Sammy was having a hard time comprehending it all. Sure, she _knew_ there was probably something like a resort here for the people eliminated, but having spent so long on an island without basic needs had made her forget what life was really, _truly_ like. Now that she was out of the game, hopefully she could return to normal life without too much difficulty.

All of a sudden, the music stopped, literally coming to a halt with a record scratch sound effect.

"Yo, _Sammy?!_ "

Beardo had shouted out to her, and caused eight other pairs of heads to turn her way. (Though she didn't see it, she heard Topher slip off of the diving board with a scream and crashed loudly into the water). With so many eyes on her, Sammy felt herself freeze up. But thankfully, it was only for a moment. "Uhh… Hi?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shawn quickly leave his wall and make his way over to her. Beardo turned the music back on, probably on some sort of automatic setting, and rushed over himself.

Sammy only had a few moments before she knew she'd be swept up in a hug, so she quickly handed her hot chocolate and blanket off to Sarah. The second she did, a pair of large, warm arms scooped her up and squeezed her tight. "Ah!" she cried out. "Beardo! Hi!"

"Ohh it's good to _see_ you again, girl!" he cried out, spinning her around in the air. "What the heck are you doing here though?! How'd you lose?!"

The spinning was unfortunately a bit too much for Sammy, having just been on the ride of her life. "Beardo, stop- I can't- The cannon-"

"Ah, crud!" he immediately set her down and took a step back. "Sorry! I, uh, kinda forgot."

"It's fine! It's fine," she said. Despite her nerves putting her in fight or flight, she was laughing the whole time. "And uh, yeah, I lost! But there's a reason for it, I promise!"

"There better be!"

She only realized then that he was wearing trunks of varying shades of grey, a pair of sandals, and nothing more. His large head of hair was pulled back into a bun, and was so large that gravity was doing its thing and hanging it down behind him.

Sammy looked at her tattered uniform, stained boots, and dirty skin and could only shake her head. "God. I feel _so_ out of place."

"You'll fit right in, trust me," Beardo said. "Get yourself cleaned up, first. It'll all be worth it."

At that point, Shawn had reached her, an easy smile on his lips and a hand up in greeting. He was wearing a pair of camouflage shorts, and his trusty toque was nowhere to be seen. "Hey."

Sammy grinned and walked up to him, arms outstretched.

His eyes went wide. "Wait, no, don't eat-" He calmed down when he became aware that she was just going in for a hug. "My… Oh. Hi?"

"It's good to see you guys," Sammy said. She pulled back and awkwardly tried to straighten up her clothes. "Sorry, I probably stink."

Shawn shrugged. "It's cool, I'm used to it."

"Yeah, a bit _too_ used to it," Beardo chided. To Sammy he said, "You know how many interns it took to give this fool a shower? _Five_. One of them even got knocked out for it!"

"Wait, seriously?" Sammy tried to stay shocked but the laughter couldn't be hidden completely. "Shawn!"

"Hey, I care very much about my hygiene," Shawn said defensively. "Just in a different way than you guys."

" _Clearly_ ," Beardo said with a shake of his head.

Sammy couldn't help herself but devolve into a laughing fit, doubling over and clutching her stomach. She missed all of this - seeing her friends, their light banter, no worries whatsoever… How odd it was that _that_ was what made the tears begin to flow.

"Uhh, hey, you good?" Beardo asked, approaching her with hands held up.

Sammy waved him off. "I'm better than good," she said between laughs. " _God_ I needed this."

She raised her head up once more, and caught sight of someone off to the side. She was surprised to see Amy standing there, eyes wide and staring at her. She was dripping with water, having come out of the pool from the bar, and was wearing a red bikini that was (intentionally, according to her when she bought it) just a bit smaller than necessary. Her hair was done up in a messy bun that looked ready to fall out at the slightest breeze, and whatever drink she had been enjoying had been abandoned at the bar when Sammy appeared.

The twins stared at each other for a moment, before Sammy allowed herself to smile. "Hi-"

Amy tackled her in a hug.

Stunned somewhat, Sammy still managed to hug her back, and didn't care that she was now soaked with water. "Hi there."

Amy didn't reply, though she sniffed rather loudly. "You stink. Like, literally."

Sammy blushed and coughed awkwardly. "Uh, yeah, I know, sorry."

"Shut up. I don't care."

Feeling the waterworks come back at full blast, Sammy tightened her grip on her sister. "Yeah. I really, _really_ needed this."

* * *

"…And _then_ it turned out the cave was full of freaky robot bears, and that apparently if you scream at the right pitch you could blow their heads off and- OM _G_ , hang on."

When the full plate of ribs was placed in front of her, Sammy immediately tore into them, not caring that she was leaving Amy, Shawn and Beardo hanging to her words. They could wait a little while longer as she gorged on the food she'd been missing for a week and a half.

The dining hall area was _massive_. The table in the center, able to sit fourteen people and easily more, was decorated with candelabra and two hanging crystal chandeliers. A fancy table cloth ran from one end to the other, and Sammy found herself sitting at one of those ends. It sort of reminded her of that table from the night challenge, except with this one, the food would actually still be edible.

As she had no way to have food prepared for her beforehand, she placed an order and was patiently waiting for it to arrive as she retold what had happened that day. Though the second the food was _ready_ , she stopped speaking immediately and went at it.

"Don't eat too fast," Amy warned her. She and Shawn were sitting on Sammy's left, while Beardo was on her right. All three of them had thrown shirts on to have at least _some_ decency at the dinner table, though they still wore their swimming bottoms. "I ended up doing that last night, and _wow_ it freaking sucked."

Sammy gave her a curious look, but couldn't ask about it due to a mouthful of meat. "Stomach ache," Beardo supplied. "Eat too fast and too much after not eating for a while, you're gonna start hurting."

Sammy paused mid-bite, and set the ribs down so she could eat slower.

"Actually, 'scuse me," Shawn called out to the waiter that was headed back to the kitchen. "Could I get a plate of nachos? I'm getting a little hungry myself here."

"Oh, I'll bum some off of y-" Amy started, though she caught herself. "I mean, uh, can I- No, wait, _may_ I, uh-"

"How about we make it a large and all eat from it?" Beardo suggested.

Amy looked between the two of them, and was relieved when Shawn nodded. "I'm cool with it," he said.

"Oh, awesome." Amy cleared her throat and tried to casually sit back. "Uh, thanks."

Sammy couldn't help but smile as she chewed. _Wow, Amy's really taking this whole 'don't be a bully' thing seriously. That's a load off of my shoulders._ "So," Sammy said when she had the mouth space to talk. "What's it been like here? Give me _all_ the deets."

All three of them began singing the resort's high praises, and how they wished they lost earlier so they could enjoy this place for longer. Aside from the pool area and dining hall, there was an entertainment center in the basement, with 4K TVs, video game consoles, speaker systems, movies and music albums of all sorts of genres, musical instruments to play, and all sorts of board games and books to choose from. Shawn said he was getting plenty of practice in the most recent Call of Duty zombie mode, which completely checked out for him, and he also declared that the resort was _not_ infested with the undead as he had investigated extensively since arriving. Beardo had been making use of the speakers and the DJ booth they found down in the basement, as well as participating in a Dungeons & Dragons game that Leonard was DMing ('Dungeon Mastering', apparently), and that he was playing a half-orc bard. Sammy was… not entirely familiar with what they were talking about, but they seemed interested in it and thus she was happy for them.

On the other hand, once she was cleaned up and ready, Amy spent most of the day relaxing by the pool and catching up on some of the fashion articles and celebrity gossip she missed out on for the last few days. As she was still working on being a nicer person, she had also attempted to speak with the others on a more personable and friendlier level, though that came with mixed results. Rodney was being weird, as usual apparently, so that conversation didn't go far. Max only wanted to talk about himself, so that ended up petering out as well. And because she was the only other girl on the resort (before now), Amy had made a more personal attempt to strike up a conversation with Sugar, only to be completely put off by her… 'offbeat' mannerisms, which included a lack of personal space, insistence on barely listening to her, and a shameless fascination with _farting_ , of all things.

"Maybe she has stomach issues, I dunno!" Amy defended when she brought it up. "But the fact that she does it - _loudly_ , I might add - when other people are around and _talking with her_ is absolutely disgusting and I have decided I don't want anything to do with her."

"That's super fair," Beardo said. "I talked with Sugar a few days ago. She is… a lot."

"I think I like her less than the zombies," Shawn admitted.

"Hm," Sammy said, picking up the ribs again. "This is good to know. Now I won't go anywhere near her." Everyone agreed with that idea, and Sammy resumed devouring the food she'd been craving. "Actually, hang on," she said with another mouthful. "What happened to Scarlett? You said Sugar was the only other girl here."

"Oh, right," Shawn said. "Yeah, after she landed, they carted her off in a police speedboat." Sammy stopped chewing instantly. "Some of us saw her get taken away, but we were all told about it the next morning."

"I still can't believe she tried to do that to y'all," Beardo said, shaking his head. "That's messed _up_."

"Seriously," Shawn agreed. "We were on a robot island with an evil genius the whole time and none of us knew it. You can't make that stuff up!"

Amy, picking up on her sister's interest, then leaned on the table towards her with wide eyes. "Hey, actually, did you know she _lied_ about her age?! She faked being a teenager just to get on the show and get the money!"

" _What?!_ No way!" Sammy cried out, nearly choking on her food.

"Yes way!"

"How old is she really?!"

"Like, 25 or something! Apparently this wasn't her first time having a run in with the RCMP!"

"Get out!" Sammy said, her dinner forgotten about entirely. "She looks so young!"

"That's what I said!" Amy agreed, her head nodding rapidly. "You'd never think she was any older than 16!"

"God, and she played us all like a fiddle, didn't she?"

"She _so_ did! I thought we were kinda like, close-ish, but she was against us all along!"

"It's like- man, she's _got_ to have something wrong with her, if she even thought about doing this in the first place."

"Absolutely! She'd have to be pretty messed up if she held us _hostage_ like that!"

"Who does that, anyway?! She was willing to kill us for the money all that time!"

"I know! And I slept in the same treehouse as her for a week! She could've easily killed me at any time!"

"Holy crap, that's _terrifying_! Agh, I'm so glad that didn't end up happening to you!"

"Yeah, I am-" Amy stopped short, and stared at Sammy wide-eyed. "Wait, you are?"

Sammy paused too, realized that what she had said had come out too naturally to be a lie, and chose to keep going with it. "Yeah, obviously! You're my sister! I don't want to see you _die_! I've _never_ wanted to see you die!"

Amy was stunned into silence, apparently not expecting her to say that. "I… Oh. …Really?"

"Yes, really!" Sammy could understand if Amy thought she wanted her to get _hurt_ , but straight up _dying_? That didn't make sense. "Why, is it that hard to believe?"

Amy blinked. "Uh…" Her eyes glanced over to Beardo for a split second before returning. "No! No, it's believable. Um, thanks."

"You're welcome." Glancing over to her right, she saw Beardo looking between them in awe. "What?"

Beardo quickly cleared his throat and waved a hand. "Oh, uh, I'm just… surprised."

"Surprised at…?"

He motioned between the sisters. " _This._ Amy told us that you two were… well, better, somewhat. I'll be honest, I hadn't believed it at the time. Now? 100%. No question about it."

The twins shared another glance. Sammy took a moment to think that the last time the girls spoke, any sort of bridge between them was only _starting_ to get rebuilt. So it _was_ a little odd that it felt like they were as thick as thieves already. At the same time, this was also something Sammy wanted for most of her life, so she was willing to put up with it for another little bit.

Amy pouted, but then sighed. "Yeah, I guess that's fair. You didn't have much of a reason to believe me. And, uh, sorry for making fun of you back on the island. I was going through some shit and-"

"Hey," Beardo interrupted. "Water under the bridge, girl. As long as you don't mean any more harm to us or your sister, it's all good."

Amy let out a happy sigh of relief. "Thanks."

"How'd you get that info anyway?" Shawn asked Amy. "About Scarlett. We weren't told about her age when the crew informed us on what happened. And it's especially weird since you only got here _after_ she left."

With a shrug, Amy leaned back in her chair. "Overheard it from one of the interns who were here when it happened, and _they_ overheard it from the police. A lot of loose lips around these parts, apparently."

"Guess they gotta find _something_ to do when they're not being tortured by Chris," Sammy said.

"Hear, hear," Beardo agreed, nodding his head.

The nachos were delivered shortly after, and Sammy asked for a large glass of root beer and a banana split. "Being able to order almost _anything_ is a dream come true," she said once the waiter left.

"Savour it while you can, 'cuz all this is gone when the show's over," Beardo told her. He likewise had ordered more food, claiming that he would take as much advantage of it as he could, at least without overworking the chefs.

"Yeah, they got storerooms chalk full of food," Shawn said. "I checked it out myself. If the apocalypse _does_ happen when we're here, we'd be pretty good for a while."

Amy gave him a look, and then back to Sammy. "He… does _not_ stop talking about that, does he?" she whispered.

Sammy merely shrugged. "You get used to it."

After a few more rounds of food, Sammy could happily say that she was full for the first time in days. Chugging the remains of her root beer, she happily leaned back in her chair and tried to enjoy the moment.

Tried, because the minute she put her mug down Amy stood up and grabbed her arm. "Alright, c'mon, we're going up now."

"Huh?" Sammy asked. "Up where?"

"Where else?" she replied. "Your room."

With so many new things to take in, having her own room was swiftly overshadowed by everything else. "Oh, right!"

"Yeah, now that you've eaten, we gotta clean you up. What, did you think we were keeping you in that uniform for the rest of the summer?"

Frowning, something old took root inside her, and Sammy stood up with a look of desperation. "I was distracted! By the food, and the friends!" she said in defence.

Amy smirked, but then actively fought that smirk and replaced it with a more sympathetic smile. "Hey, no one's blaming you! I forgot too when I was given my meal last night. It's fine."

"Oh." Sammy went on about Amy wanting to change, but she still ended up assuming Amy was trying to get on her case. _Guess I need to work on me, too._ "Sorry, my bad."

"No, it's okay." She took a hold of Sammy's arm and began dragging her to the door. "C'mon, though, you seriously do stink."

"Gee, _thanks_ , Amy."

"You're welcome!" She then looked back towards her. " _Sam._ "

Sammy gawked, then grinned widely. _Ladies and gentlemen… she's back._

Amy then turned her attention back to the table. "Oh, actually, did one of you guys want to talk to Dave? He might still have some stuff left."

"I'm on it," said Beardo, finishing off his food. "I gotta go back out there, anyway. The people demand their music mixed!"

"Perfect! Thanks!"

Sammy watched Beardo leave through another door, and turned back to her sister in bewilderment. "Wait, sorry, what? What's this about Dave?"

"Let's walk and talk." She led Sammy out of the dining room, and Sammy got in a quick 'See ya' to Shawn before leaving. As they trekked back down the hallway towards the main foyer, Amy kept the conversation going. "Dave's got, like, a _stupid_ amount of shower stuff in his room. And it's all the expensive stuff. He thought he'd need it if he went far in the game, but since he was second out almost none of it got used. That's when everyone _else_ started showing up smelling like they were living in a pighouse for a week."

"Pigpen?"

"Right, yeah, that. He wasn't having _any_ of that though, so he's letting each new loser use some of his stuff to clean themselves up." She slowed down to look Sammy dead in the eye. "And when I say it's the expensive stuff, I _mean_ it. Like, I haven't even touched these brands before, it's _that_ high-class."

"Wow," Sammy said, slowing down with her. "Dave's really into keeping himself clean, isn't he?"

"Seems like it. Thanks to him, though, everyone's pretty much back to how they were before, which is a literal _miracle_."

"Yeah, for sure."

Amy slowed down a little bit more, forcing Sammy to do the same. Amy then stopped abruptly and turned a piercing gaze to her sister. "What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Sammy asked, blinking in genuine confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You're like… Hm." Instead of finishing the sentence, Amy grabbed Sammy's arm and hauled her a little way's forward. "Walk _next_ to me, not behind me."

Sammy glanced back at the spot she _had_ been standing, and then registered that, yes, she _had_ been walking behind Amy since they left the dining hall. "Oh. That was… totally automatic of me."

"It… was?" Amy looked at her in concern.

"Yeah. I guess, uh… It's 'cuz I'm so used to doing it in school. And, anywhere else we'd go."

Now that she was consciously thinking about it, that _was_ how it always had been. Sammy would walk behind Amy and whatever group of 'friends' she had with her at the time, mainly because A) Sammy was not exactly part of that group and B) Amy had refused to see her as an equal. Not to mention that she ended up getting forgotten about anyway, and no one would _want_ to talk to her, so normally she'd be pushed back behind everyone regardless of what happened.

She had gotten so used to it that it became second nature. To the point that she didn't realize she'd been doing it after everything started getting better.

Amy frowned, and a bit of an awkward silence permeated around them. "I… see."

Stewing on it for a little bit longer, in the end Sammy shook her head and smiled at her sister. "Well, that's fine." Amy looked at her in surprise. "We're just going to have to change that."

Amy slowly nodded, and gradually gave a small smile. "I guess we are." They started their walk again, and a few steps in Amy said, "Hey, you didn't finish your story about the challenge today."

"Oh, right!"

"Actually, hold up, tell me about this _bandage_ you have on your face." Amy tried to poke at it but Sammy swatted her hand away. "Did one of those bears attack you?"

"Oh, no, this is because of Jasmine."

"Wait, _Jasmine_ attacked you?!"

"No, she- Hey, wait, who's telling the story? Let me finish the cave part first!"

"Alright, alright, jeez, keep your pants on. What happened in the cave, then?"

"So, the thing was, I _totally_ destroyed a cave full of bears. Ella realized screaming at a high pitch would damage their wiring or, or something, so she matched my screaming and we blew them all up. It was terrifying at the time, but in hindsight, _so cathartic_."

"Hmm." Amy was pouting her lips in thought. Finally she said, "Seriously? I dunno, Sis, that sounds kinda fishy. I don't think that actually happened."

"Wha- It did too!"

"Can you prove it?"

"I- Well- _No_ , but-"

"Hmm… _Kinda_ suspicious…"

"Ah, wait, Ella can prove it! Whenever she comes here she'll tell you!"

"Sure she will."

"She will!"

The smile on Amy's face was completely harmless, and Sammy was once again thankful that she was able to do this with her sister of all people.

* * *

The second floor of the foyer had a hallway right on top of and parallel to the first floor's, although this hallway was exclusive to the eliminated contestants. There were seven doors along both walls, and each one belonged to a contestant going down in alphabetical order. On the left was the girl's rooms, starting with Amy's and continuing down the list (Sammy noted Ella's was right next to her sister's). The right had the boy's, with Beardo's starting them off. Each door had a scanner next to the door knob, likely for a keycard that Sammy currently did not have access to. Picking up on that, Amy requested the service of an intern who was passing by, and they happily went to retrieve Sammy's card.

"This is like, a legit resort," Sammy observed.

"Yeah, it is," Amy said. "It isn't like, as fancy as the winner's mansion in season five, but it's pretty darn close."

"This is the sort of place I've always wanted to stay at," said Sammy. "Too bad it's only going to be for a day."

"Then you need to make the most of it," Amy replied. "I'd say you have more than enough time to try everything at least once, if you pace yourself."

"I can try that. Though I may also just want to relax. Haven't done _that_ in a while."

"Also totally worth it."

They reached Sammy's door, and the moment she was expecting but hoping wouldn't happen ended up happening. "'Samey'," she read aloud from her nameplate. Letting out a sigh, she rolled her eyes. "Of course."

Amy was noticeably silent at this, and lowered her head and averted her gaze.

Neither of them said anything afterwards, and so they proceeded to wait for the intern to arrive. But to Sammy's surprise, the next person to show up was actually _not_ the intern.

"Uh," Dave called out from down the hall, drawing the girls' attention. "I have shower products in my room. Give me a second and I'll grab some!"

"Okay, thank you!" Sammy called out to him. Dave entered his room, which closed once he vanished. There was a lingering bit of awkwardness in the air, and Sammy decided to try and dispel it. "You know, this is nice of him. He really didn't have to do this."

Realizing Sammy _wasn't_ about to bite her head off, Amy nodded at her. "No, he didn't, really." She leaned in a bit close and began talking in a lower tone. "My guess? He wants to make up for getting kicked out second."

"You think so?"

"Probably. I've barely talked to the guy but like, he gives off that vibe, you know?"

"Maybe. I dunno. He didn't seem to like me all that much back on the island."

"From what I understand, he didn't like anyone. Apparently he had already been having a bad day before boarding the blimp at the beginning, and I think his germo- germ- uh, fear of germs thing just made it worse."

"Ohhh," Sammy said in understanding. "That would make sense. But, how do you know that?"

"I don't, really." Amy shrugged. "I was just sorta picking up on bits of it when he was talking with the others. A lot of it is guesswork."

Sammy giggled behind her hand. "This is how rumours get started, you know that right?"

Amy pouted, then lightly jabbed Sammy in the side with her elbow. "Then don't go telling anyone about it!"

"I won't! Haha, I didn't realize we were such gossipers."

"Something tells me we're going to be finding out a _lot_ about the two of us in the next… forever."

"Seriously."

Dave exited his room and walked down the hallway with purpose. "Alright, so," he said, stopping roughly six feet from the twins, a stuffed plastic bag hanging in his hands. "I have citrus-scented shampoo and a complementing body wash, a patchouli-scented set, a jasmine-scented one - the flower, not the person, thankfully - as well as two different brands of conditioner for you. Take your pick."

Sammy blinked at the bag that looked like it was about to split at the bottom with how much was in it. "Umm… I wasn't expecting so many choices."

"At this point, it doesn't really matter, does it?" Amy asked her. "Just pick one."

"Right, uh…" _Having anything 'jasmine'-scented would be too weird after everything that's happened, and I don't even know what a 'patchouli' is, so…_ "I'll have the citrus set, please. And the conditioner doesn't matter."

Dave nodded, extracted the appropriate bottles, and simply looked at the two of them. "Did you want me to leave them on the floor? Because, uh, no offence, but you're probably infested with germs."

Sammy was just about to protest, but thought it over. "Honestly, fair."

"Here, I'm clean." Amy closed the small gap between them and accepted the products from Dave.

"If you need any more, I've still got tons," Dave told Sammy.

She raised a brow at him. "I don't think I'll need _that_ many, but thanks all the same."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"Thanks, Dave," Amy said to him, walking back to Sammy. To her, she said, "Now we just have to wait for the keycard to get you in. BT-dubs, you're _so_ going to love the room. It's like your own personal hotel room, _with a balcony_."

"Whoa," Sammy said in awe. "I had no idea I needed that until now."

"Oh, _duh_ , that reminds me!" Amy said, smacking herself in the head. "They didn't tell us this starting off, but they lied about our luggage! It was never on the blimp to begin with, they shipped it all here!"

Sammy gasped in absolute delight. "What?! No way!"

"Yes way!"

"Ohh thank God, my stuff is all okay!" Sammy felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, one she hadn't realized was there to begin with. She hadn't brought anything _too_ important - her diary was safe at home and hidden away, thankfully - but it was a relief that her extra clothes and her phone were safe. "Hey, what's the time difference between here and home? I want to call Mom tomorrow but I don't wanna bug her at work."

Amy scrunched her face in thought. "Uhhh… Honestly I have no idea. That's kind of your field of expert- uh… expertise?" Sammy nodded at her questioning pronunciation - Amy had proven to have trouble with saying larger words, and Sammy didn't want to shame her for it. "Right. And I'm not… like. You know. Book smart."

"Hey, don't talk like that, you're smart in your own way! You don't have to be the top student of your grade to be a smart person."

She shrugged. "I guess."

"C'mon, Amy, don't be so hard on yourself. You can be great at whatever you put your mind to. It's 'cuz of you that Ella's still in the game, remember? If you put that energy into something you like, I promise you'd be set for life."

A sigh escaped Amy's lips. "Yeah, yeah, you guys already hammered that in."

"Only because it's true!"

"If you say so."

"I _do_ say so!"

"Uhhh."

Then both twins realized that Dave hadn't left.

 _Oops,_ Sammy thought. _Way to not pay attention._

Looking between the two of them in confusion, he slowly said, "I don't remember you two being this chummy on day one."

The girls shared a brief look, before they chuckled simultaneously. "Yeah, ah, that's because we weren't," Sammy admitted.

"Yeah," Amy said, and casually leaned an elbow on Sammy's shoulder, which Sammy allowed her to do. "You kinda missed, like, a whole _thing_ about that."

"Yeah, that's the feeling I'm getting." He closed the bag back up and turned halfway around. "Anyway, I gotta go. See you two later."

He walked off then, not bothering to wait for any reply. "Thanks again, Dave," Sammy called out to him, "and see you later!"

When he was far enough away, Amy turned back to her. "That got me thinking."

"What did?"

"How Dave said we weren't like this back on day one, and how shocked Beardo seemed that we weren't at each other's throats. Do you think the producers could, like… make _us_ the focus of the season? Like how they've done it with other people before? They could make the whole plot of the season be about us starting off as terrible sisters and then making up and getting better." Her eyes began sparkling. "We could be, like, the main characters, showing us growing up and stuff."

Sammy let out a little chuckle. "You wouldn't mind being in the middle of it all? After everything you went through?"

"Hey, I ended up a better person after all that. I think that's a good selling point."

"It could be, buuut I think out of either of us, _I'd_ be the main character."

"Whaaat? Get real. If anyone's a main character, it's _me_. _I'm_ the one who-" Amy stopped short when she took in the look Sammy was giving her. "Oh. Right. I see your point."

Sammy simply shrugged. "That said, it _would_ be pretty cool if we could be main characters. But considering we didn't make it to the end, we probably would end up as only supporting characters."

"Ah. True. You're probably right." Amy sighed dramatically. "Cest la vai."

Sammy's next sentence was stopped completely upon hearing that. She squinted at her sister, trying to see if that was on purpose or not. When Amy's only response was to raise an eyebrow, Sammy asked, "Do… Do you mean _c'est la vie_?"

Amy's cheeks slowly but surely flared red, and she began sputtering in irritation. "I- Well- What of it?"

"Hey, I'm not accusing you of anything," Sammy said patiently. "I'm just asking a question."

She clamped her eyes shut, took a breath, and nodded. "Right. Uh… Yeah, I guess I did mean that." She chuckled humorlessly. "You know I'm no good at other languages."

"Mmm. Well, I'm sure you'll get better."

"Hopefully. I'm… probably gonna regret asking this but that was, uhh, German for 'such is life', right?"

Sammy couldn't help but stare harder at her sister. "You're… You're on the right tracks, but got on the wrong train."

Amy's eyes widened and she blinked rapidly. "And… that means… what, exactly?"

Sammy sighed. "Right, okay, first thing you're doing when school starts again is learning how to actually _study_."

Amy gaped at her. "Whaaat? But studying's for _nerds_."

"Then you're going to have to become one, because I'm not doing your homework for you anymore."

The look on Amy's face progressively became one of annoyance, then frustration, and then resignation. "Ugh. _Fine_. But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"No one's saying you have to."

Amy pouted. "Whatever. Anyway, we're at a resort and technically on vacation and we're talking about _homework_. Those things should never be in the same sentence together, _ever_."

"Hmm. You have a point."

The intern returned - _Finally_ \- not too long after that, waved the keycard in front of the door's scanner for demonstration, and handed it to Sammy before leaving once more.

Amy grasped at the handle, a smile playing at her lips. "Get ready to be amazed."

"I've been ready since we got up here," Sammy replied with a smirk.

Amy swung open the door and showed Sammy in. Like the foyer, it wasn't as gaudy as she was expecting, but actually looked like it was from a respected resort. It opened up into a small hallway, with a door leading to the bathroom on the left and a closet of sorts on the right, and the rest of the room expanding out beyond it. A single queen-sized bed sat on the left side, its sheets of warm colors inviting her to sleep, but were currently occupied by a very familiar suitcase, unopened and undamaged. On the right hung a huge 4K TV, and just past that was a desk attached to the wall and a swivel-chair pushed up into it. Sitting in the back corner was an expensive yet comfortable-looking chair, and on the back wall was a set of large windows, one of them obviously being able to slide open, which led out onto the small balcony that hung over the pool area. It was incredibly _fancy_ , much fancier than anything Sammy had stayed at before in her life, and she couldn't believe that she was standing in it at all.

"OMG…" she said in awe, trying to take everything in. "This is all mine?!"

"Yup," Amy told her, opening the door to the bathroom and walking in. Sammy followed, and saw the regular objects - a toilet, a sink, and so on - plus a unique stand-up shower, with two faucets attached to opposite sides. What made the bathroom stand out was, oddly enough, the open window, encompassing the entire wall, that was facing out into the bedroom.

"Oh," Sammy said in confusion, staring through the bathroom window and at the other window in the back of the room. "Uh… Not sure how I feel about the shower being open to the public like this."

" _That's_ where things get fun." Amy directed Sammy's attention to the light switch next to the door, where three of them were located. The first one, as demonstrated by her, was the regular light switch. The second was a fan. The third, however, immediately caused not only the wall-sized window to fog up completely, but also the glass of the shower itself.

" _Holy_ -" Sammy felt her jaw drop in awe. She stepped out of the bathroom to see the other windows had fogged up as well. "How does that even _work?_ Actually, you know what, never mind, I want it to stay a mystery."

"Isn't it awesome?" Amy asked, then set the shower products on the counter. "You should get your stuff ready."

"Right!" Sammy quickly meandered around to the bed and threw open the suitcase. All of her neatly folded clothes were _such_ a welcome sight after wearing the same grungy uniform for the last week and a half. She quickly pulled out fresh underwear and pyjamas, dug deeper past it all to pull out her bathroom kit, and stripped herself of her island clothes, boots and all, and tossed them onto the floor near the window.

Left in the blue and pink underclothes she had accidentally kept on all the way back on day one, Sammy returned to the bathroom with her supplies. Amy was adjusting the shower, turning it on and putting it on a temperature between warm and hot. "You're going to _love_ it, you can actually adjust the pressure with this extra knob here. I've never seen anything like it before!"

While Sammy had no doubt she'd enjoy the shower, that wasn't at the top of her list of things to do. "Uhh, thanks Amy, but I was gonna brush my teeth first."

Amy froze mid-turning, cleared her throat, and turned the shower off. "Ah. Right, right. Sorry, I guess."

"It's fine, though, thank you." Setting her stuff on the counter and retrieving her toothbrush and toothpaste, Sammy continued. "I do appreciate everything you're doing - like seriously, thank you for the warm welcome and all - but at the same time, you don't have to, like, devote every second to helping me."

Amy didn't turn back as Sammy spoke, choosing instead to listen.

Sammy took that as a sign to keep going. "I know you want to be better. And I support you in trying to do that, obviously. But this isn't something that's going to happen overnight. You don't have to rush it. Actually, rushing it might make things worse. What you need to do is _take your time_. I'm not going to suddenly say 'Oh, you're not worth my attention anymore' and then abandon you. The only way I'd _ever_ say that is if you go back to how you were before, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to do that. So, like, you don't have to try and do everything at once. You don't have to force it. We can take it one step at a time. Okay?"

Sammy had her suspicions that that had been happening, ever since dinner. Amy did not suddenly go from a teenager struggling to be nicer to others, to a saint who did everything and anything to make their past victim feel safe. It was clearly forced, even if it wasn't visibly obvious. Amy must have wanted that forgiveness pretty badly, if she was willing to go to those lengths. Not to say that those moments of banter were _faked_ by any means, but redeeming one's self from a lifetime of being a bully didn't happen by having pleasant conversations and helping set up the shower. Amy needed to know that, and to put her focus on other things.

Finally, after a long moment, Amy sighed, nodded, and turned back around. Her face was neutral, but she had a renewed determination in her eye. "You're right. I _was_ trying to rush things. I don't… This is something I think I'm just realizing, but I don't think I like owing people things for too long. And because of that, I was trying to get to the end of this as soon as I could. I was being selfish, only thinking about me and not you." With a frustrated huff, she added, " _Again._ "

"But now you understand that you were, and you can work past that." Sammy walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Deep down, you're a good person. Don't give me that look, you refusing to go back to who you were proves that. It's just that now, those good qualities need to push themselves to the top so that they become natural, so that you don't force them. Like I said before, it's going to be tough." She put on a smile. "But I know you can do it."

Amy stared deep into Sammy's soul, and choked out a laugh. "How the hell are the two of us related? We're like night and day."

Sammy smirked. "Polar opposite twins, am I right?"

"You are." Amy offered a fist, and Sammy bumped her own against it. "I'll let you do your thing. Holler if you need anything - you have my number."

"That's right, I do. Ah, I'll be sure to change your contact name, now that you're not a total jerk."

Amy gave her a look of surprise. "What name did you give me?"

Sammy turned back to her kit to grab her deodorant, a mischievous smile playing at her lips. "Oh, it's not important."

"Uhh, I kinda still wanna know."

Sammy didn't answer, and chose to hum instead.

"Sam?!"

Turning back around, Sammy innocently asked, "Did you need something?"

Amy's look of shock morphed into a glare. "That's it. I'm looking through your phone."

 _That_ got Sammy to react. "What?! No! You can't do this!"

"I can and I will!"

"You don't know where it is!"

"You always keep it in the same place whenever we travel: in the upper left pocket of your suitcase!"

"Oh, crap, you _do_ know that. Um, uh! You, you won't even get in! I have facial recognition turned on!"

"Uhh, identical twins, remember?!"

"Yeah but- But- It won't recognize your mole!"

"Wh- _Excuse you_ , it's a _beauty mark!_ "

"Ehh, tomato, tuh-mah-toe."

"Oh you did _not_ just say that."

"Maybe I did! What are you gonna do about it?"

"…Your balcony's pretty close to the pool."

"What does that- H-Hey! Put my suitcase down! Amy! Drop it, drop the suitcase! _My phone is still in there, put it down-_ "

* * *

Once she _finally_ forced Amy out of her room, Sammy proceeded to both draw the curtains over and flicked on the privacy fog switch. She discarded the rest of her clothes and tossed them into the newly dubbed 'Clothes to Burn' pile, and smothered her toothbrush with a large glob of toothpaste. She was going to need it, if she ever hoped to get rid of the 11-days-worth of plaque and buildup in her mouth.

Sammy wanted to be thorough, and so took much longer than normal to brush. As that quickly got boring, she grabbed her phone from her suitcase (upper left pocket, as Amy predicted) and started blasting her own music through it. While Beardo had his own tunes playing outside, Sammy had been without her personal music for so long that she just _had_ to play it. No offence to him, he could mix like nobody's business, but she needed to get back to her own reality with her own tastes.

She put on her favorite song, cranked the volume to max, and didn't care if she looked like a stereotypical white girl dancing. She was _free_ of that hellhole island, and she was going to enjoy her time out of there. Sure, she _did_ feel guilty about leaving Ella behind, and sure, _maybe_ it made more logical sense for Sammy to be the one in the Final Three instead of her, and sure, _maybe_ her rationalising it as Ella still having things to prove was flimsy at best, but she legitimately did think this was the best course of action.

Now all Ella had to do was win and then Sammy wouldn't feel as guilty anymore.

That wouldn't be too hard.

Sammy stopped mid-dance and mid-brush and sighed. Ella had a chance, but it wasn't a likely one.

Still, it wasn't like she could do anything to help now. The only thing she _could_ do is wait and hope.

She had no clue what tomorrow would bring for Ella. She prayed it was something that would give her a fighting chance.

Sammy spent a solid twenty minutes brushing her teeth, as each song faded into the next. After she felt like she had done a solid job, she moved on to flossing. That was the tougher part, especially for the teeth so far back in her mouth, but after another twenty minutes she already felt cleaner.

She then decided to remove the bandage, and see for herself what damage laid underneath. Carefully peeling it off, Sammy was delightfully surprised to see that it wasn't really anything to worry about. The wound wasn't deep and had stopped bleeding altogether, though it still hurt when she poked at it - _Which you shouldn't do, moron_ , she thought to herself in annoyance.

Then it was time for the shower. Dave's high-quality products really came in handy, since Sammy's drugstore-purchased shampoo and soap were nowhere near as effective. Considering she didn't have to worry about an electric bill in the resort, Sammy decided to simply stay in the shower for a long while, washing herself and her hair as thoroughly as possible, and allowing the hot water to run over and relax her all the while.

She lost track of time, and it wasn't until she heard the knocking on her room door over the buzz of the music and the shower that she remembered she probably should get out.

She stepped out and onto the dry floor, toweling off her arms when the knocker spoke up.

"Same- Ah, shit. _Sam!_ You good in there?"

"All good!" she called back, choosing to ignore her sister's slip of the tongue. "Why, what's up?"

"I tried texting you but it's been, like, literally an hour and I know you're not _that_ slow with a phone."

"Oh, really? Sorry!" She checked her phone to see that the clock said it was close to midnight. Additionally, two unopened texts from Amy sat there, one from 15 minutes ago and another from 42. "Huh. Uh, yeah, I just kinda lost track of time! The shower was so good!"

"It's okay! Just making sure."

 _Aw, that's nice of her,_ Sammy thought as she continued drying herself.

"I'm heading to bed now," Amy continued. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You bet! G'night!"

"Night!"

Sammy finished drying herself off completely, contemplated shaving her legs, then figured she could do it some other time and that she wanted to hop right into bed. Before that, though, she did fish out a med kit from beneath the sink and did her best to reapply the bandage. It wasn't as good as when Chef put it on, but it was serviceable for the time being.

Placing the suitcase on the floor and pulling back the covers, Sammy crawled into bed and was amazed at how straight up _comfortable_ it was. Granted, anything soft would be comfortable after 11 days of sleeping on the ground and/or a beaten up, springy mattress, but this was practically heaven.

She could feel herself about to pass out, but there was one thing she wanted to do first. She opened her phone, navigated to her contacts, found Amy, and tapped the edit button.

She changed the name from ' _The Evil Queen'_ to ' _The Not-As-Evil Older Sister'_.

She'd think of a better name later, when she wasn't so tired.

With that, she tossed the phone under the pillow and immediately drifted to sleep.

* * *

Her dreamless slumber was disturbed by something shaking against her head.

It vanished after a little bit, but then came back once more.

It roused her enough to get her to realize that it wasn't shaking, but rather vibrating.

And that it was accompanied by a tense and dramatic ringtone.

Still half-asleep, Sammy fished for her phone, hauled it out, and answered the call without looking. "H'lo," she mumbled in her stupor.

" _Huh,_ " Amy said over the phone. " _And Sleepy Samey is back in full force._ "

"Don't call me that," she said on autopilot.

" _Ah- Dammit. Sorry. Still getting used to it._ "

"S'okay."

" _Are you awake?_ "

"…No?"

" _Ha ha. You should get up. It's after 1 o'clock now._ "

"Mmm."

" _You've been asleep for over 12 hours."_ Amy paused, and Sammy thought she heard a quieter, incomprehensible voice instead. Suddenly, Amy spoke again. " _Yep, every weekend I had to drag her sorry ass out of bed. Looks like it's gonna have to happen again._ "

"'M up," she said, as quickly as her muddled brain would allow. Even in this state, she was very aware of the lengths Amy would go to get her out of bed. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and stretched, yawned, and scratched her side. "I'm up… So don't put my hand in water again…"

The voice again, followed by Amy. " _Uhh… Only once or twice._ "

"More than that," Sammy said over the phone.

Another pause, with no one talking. " _What? Stop looking at me like that._ "

"Who are you with?" Sammy asked. She shuffled out of bed, putting the phone on speaker and fishing around in her suitcase for day clothes.

" _Hang on._ " Another pause. " _You're on speaker._ "

" _Hey girl!_ " came a familiar voice through the phone.

"Morning, Beardo," Sammy said to him.

" _More like afternoon!_ " he shouted back. " _How the heck do you get anything done, sleeping in so late?!_ "

"You'd be surprised," Sammy answered. She picked out a layered, off-the-shoulder light pink summer dress, and a pair of shorts to wear underneath it. _Amy was always jealous of this one, but Mom forced her not to steal it from me. I think I'll wear it._

" _Get yourself down here! You're missing something amazing._ "

"Which is…?"

" _I'm teaching Amy how to play Mario Kart!_ "

Sammy choked out a laugh. The last time she witnessed Amy playing _any_ video game, the controller ended up embedded in the wall on the opposite side of the room. "OMG. This I _have_ to see."

" _Trust me,_ " Amy said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. " _You don't._ "

"Oh, but I do. Where are you guys?" Beardo gave her the directions for the entertainment room in the basement, and Sammy quickly started getting dressed. "Wait, are they able to bring food anywhere? I want breakfast first."

" _They aren't,_ " Beardo answered. " _Food is restricted to the kitchen and dining hall only. It'd be too much of a hassle to clean up messes made by 14 kids._ "

" _Someone tell you that?_ " Amy asked him.

" _Nope. That's just common sense._ "

"Great," Sammy sighed. "I'll get breakfast first, _then_ I'll meet you guys down there. See you later."

" _See ya, Sam. Hey, what's with this spiky blue shell?_ "

" _What?! Aw, you gotta be kidding-_ "

The call ended then and there, and Sammy found herself overjoyed at the thought of Amy actually hanging out with someone besides her. _Not to mention expanding her interests. 'Amy' and 'Mario Kart' have_ never _been used in the same sentence before._

Regardless, she quickly adorned the dress and examined herself in the bathroom mirror. After weeks of wearing nothing but a sweaty, dirty, tattered cheerleader uniform, it was _so nice_ to put on something different.

What was more, her newfound confidence was telling her she was looking _great_ in it, so that was a plus.

She took a little bit longer to apply some makeup. Amy always took a while in the bathroom to make sure she looked ' _perfect_ ', but Sammy had only ever done the bare minimum. A bit of foundation and eyeliner and she felt perfectly presentable, much more than she felt like on the island. She peeled off the bandage and tossed it, and hesitated on the scar, unsure of what she wanted to do with it. But then figured she didn't really _care_ what people thought about it. She might have before, but now it hardly mattered.

Along with a pair of brown sandals, Sammy was ready to face the day. She stuck her phone and room card in her bra, reminded herself to get the Wi-Fi password later, and exited her room with a skip in her step.

She didn't walk by any other prior contestants as she headed to the dining hall, though she did pass the odd intern every now and then. Knowing of the abuse inflicted on them, Sammy made sure to greet each and everyone of them a 'Good afternoon' with a pleasant smile. She could tell that each of them appreciated it.

Down the foyer steps, all the way to the end of the first floor hallway, and into the dining room she went. The table was mostly clean, and currently in the process of being wiped down by a staff member. Sitting at the other end of the room, opposite of where she and the others were last night, was Dave. He was wearing a black v-neck shirt and burgundy shorts, and an empty plate and glass sat in front of him, indicating he just finished eating lunch.

Her positive energies spiking, plus remembering that she had decided to get to know people better, Sammy walked on the other side of the table and stopped at the chair across from Dave. "Good afternoon," she said to him.

Dave was in the middle of reading a book, the same one she briefly noticed he had last night, and was startled slightly when she spoke. "Oh," he said after calming down. "Afternoon."

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked, patting the back of the chair.

"Knock yourself out," he said, setting the book down.

The second she sat down, a waiter came out to greet her. She ordered a classic breakfast of bacon, pancakes, scrambled eggs, and orange juice, salivating at the thought of it, and the waiter returned to the kitchen.

"Man," she said, "it's so good to eat actual, real food again. I seriously missed it."

"That's what everybody's been saying," Dave replied. "I ended up not missing out on the food, but I get where you're coming from."

"Yeah." Sammy decided now was a good time to bring up the game. "Um, listen, I'm really sorry we booted you out so early. Maybe if things had happened differently, you'd have lasted longer."

Dave's reply was to give a noncommittal hum. "Eh, I've had time to get over it, so don't worry about it. And, yeah, maybe I _could_ have gone farther. From what I've heard from the others, though, it sounded like things got disgusting _fast_."

"Ooh yeah," Sammy nodded. "They did. Handling monkeys, eating Juggy Chunks, not being able to clean ourselves… We were practically living in filth that whole time."

Dave shuddered visibly. "Yuck. Part of me wishes I tried harder to ignore the germs, but there's another part that's relieved I've been here the whole time."

"I don't blame you. This place is _so cool_. And by the looks of it, clean."

"Well, you're never going to get a resort with this many people in it _totally_ clean, but I'm able to manage it."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Oh, and since we're in the mood to hand out apologies, sorry for calling you the 'Queen of Negativity' or whatever when I was leaving. A _lot_ of crap was piling up on me - not literally, obviously, that'd be disgusting - and getting that grease in my mouth was the tipping point."

"Apology accepted," she replied earnestly. She only vaguely remembered being called that, but given how upset he was at the time, it made sense. "I mean… I _was_ pretty negative on myself a lot. I'm trying my best not to be, and I think I've made some decent progress." _You know, it… it feels good to be happy._

Dave stared at her in surprise. "Huh. Yeah, I'm getting the sense that you're… a lot different than what you were like before. What exactly _happened_ on the island, anyway?"

"Oh, you know, lots of stuff," Sammy said with a wave of her hand. "Having a bunch of people treating you with respect and nearly dying several times over does a lot to a person. I was just lucky most of it was good."

"Those are two… _very_ opposing halves of a sentence."

"Trust me, it was _crazy_."

They paused for a moment.

"Wanna hear about it?"

Dave shrugged. "I've already heard a bunch of stuff from Beardo and the others. But, hey, go for it. I won't stop you."

And so Sammy told him mostly everything she could recall, leaving out some of the personal details but still explaining why she was the way she was, why Amy was being nicer to her and others, and some of the steps some of the others were taking to change themselves. She spoke of the different challenges, how she performed in them, her opinions of them, and how much of a jerk Chris was towards them all. Dave listened with interest, interrupted at some parts to ask questions and/or call BS, but he didn't seem to mind Sammy talking his ear off.

Her breakfast had arrived in the middle of her story, and since this was Dave she was relaying it to, Sammy made sure to talk only when her mouth wasn't full. She had to stop a few times to simply savour the food she'd been given, but she got right back on track quickly enough.

"…And _then_ it turned out the cave was full of freaky robot bears, and that apparently if you scream at the right pitch you could blow their heads off and-"

"Okay, that sounds ridiculous," Dave interrupted once again. "If half of this stuff wasn't already proven, I'd say you're trying to sell me a cartoon."

"That's what it sounds like, isn't it?" By this point Sammy had finished her bacon and eggs and was steadily devouring her pancakes. "But I promise you, I'm not making this up. Ask the others when they get back, they'll tell you the same thing as me."

"I mean, we already got an account of it from your sister, so if anything _you're_ backing _her_ up. It's just… _way_ too hard to believe."

Sammy had to agree with that. What she was saying _did_ sound like something made up.

"It's a good thing you guys came out of it unharmed, though," Dave said. "Ah, mostly."

Sammy shrugged. "Yeah, well, I _did_ walk away from this with the promise of never going on trips to the zoo or the mountains for skiing again, but for the most part I'm alright." She took her phone out and checked the time. "I'm just worried about the others. If they stuck with the schedule, they're likely done with the challenge by now. And we won't know who lost or if anyone got hurt until nightfall… Ugh, waiting sucks when you don't know what's gonna happen…"

"My advice? Try not to worry about it." Dave grabbed his book and stood up from his chair.

Sammy raised a brow. "What?"

"I mean, don't _not_ worry about them," he clarified. "But the only thing you _can_ do is wait, so why not just enjoy the resort while you can? You won't be here forever."

Popping the last of the pancakes into her mouth, chugging the rest of the juice, and slamming the glass onto the table with a breath of air, Sammy reluctantly nodded. "You're right. Can't do anything except sit and hope for the best." She stood as well, stretched her sore muscles, and started for the door. "And I'm gonna make sure I have fun doing it!"

"Uh, good for you," Dave said. "I'm probably just gonna sit outside and read."

"That sounds like fun, too." She was about to say goodbye, then stopped and turned back around. "Oh, two things! One, what's the Wi-Fi password?"

Dave readily gave it to her. Unsurprisingly, it had to do with Chris. What _was_ surprising was that it wasn't something egotistical about him. In fact, she figured the interns probably hacked into the network to change it.

Sammy entered **Chr1$McL3an1$aD1ck** and instantly got Internet access. "Sweet, got it! Thanks."

"No sweat. What was number two?"

She shook the phone in her hand. "Wanna trade contact info?"

* * *

Pushing open the double doors, Sammy's jaw dropped at the sight of how accurate the 'Entertainment' part of the room's name was. On the left side of the room were an assortment of shelves, lined with books, Blu-ray movies, music CDs, and board games. Several tables had been placed in the center of the room, chairs randomly arranged near them, giving a sense that they were heavily used. Directly in front of her were a large set of speakers and a boom box, plus the DJ table she recalled seeing yesterday at the pool. There was a low beat coming out from it, likely just for the background music seeing as it had been left alone.

The right side, however, was where the real party was. In the corner closest to the door was a full-on band setup - lead guitar, bass guitar, microphones, drums and a keyboard sat on an elevated stage, waiting to be used. But they _weren't_ being used. Instead, everyone's attention was in the back corner of that side of the room, where a large 4K TV was sitting on top of a TV stand, and was currently showing a four-player race of Mario Kart. Sitting in an assortment of couches and chairs in front of the screen were a handful of the other losers - Amy and Beardo were on the couch, Shawn on a chair off to the side, and another person in the chair back-on to Sammy. It wasn't until she walked up to them that she realized this mystery person was, again, Leonard without the wizard disguise.

"Hi guys," Sammy said to them all, and they greeted her back. "And Amy."

"Why am I getting singled out?" Amy asked, sounding offended but not enough to tear her eyes away from the game. She was wearing a yellow tank-top, stopping just below her ribs, and a pair of dark blue shorts. Both her fingernails and her toenails had been painted bright red, which possibly happened after Sammy hopped in the shower last night.

"'Cuuuz you're not a guy?"

"Oh. True."

"Scoot, scoot," she said to her sister, waving the back of her hand at her, and she and Beardo made a spot for her on the couch. "Who's who? And who's winning?"

They each called out their characters (Sammy had only a vague understanding of the Mario games, so she couldn't identify everyone), and notified her that Beardo and Shawn were neck and neck for first place, Leonard was at a respectable fifth, and Amy was back in 10th place.

"This stupid baby keeps hitting me with shells!" she called out as her girl turtle (with a bow, which was kinda cute) was clobbered by a red shell.

"Oh, wow, that literally _was_ a baby driving a motorcycle," Sammy noted idly, watching him pass her. "So, like, you're just supposed to race, right? That's the goal?"

"Be the first one across the finish line, yup," Beardo replied. He wore a simple white t-shirt with stylized music notes on it, and a pair of red jogging shorts and socks. "But you got stuff you can throw to hurt the other players."

"Or to help yourself," said Leonard, "like giving you a speed boost or invincibility." He briefly turned to Sammy and gave her a toothy grin. "Hello again, by the way! Long time no see!"

"Hi!" replied a surprised Sammy. She half expected him to continue talking like he was from a few hundred years ago, but he seemed relatively modern at the moment. He was also wearing a t-shirt, a black one with an open-mouthed skull that had a flame coming out of one eye, along with tan shorts that went past the knees. He seemed the most at home in the Entertainment Room than anyone else. "Yeah, it's been a while. I, uh, hope you're not too mad we eliminated you first. If it's any consolation, I really am sorry it went down like that."

Leonard had returned to the game as she spoke, though he still replied. "Nothing to worry about! It was bound to happen at some point."

Sammy was expecting more than that, but that was apparently it. But that was fine, because it was just in time for Amy to cheer.

"Ah, finally!"

The three guys all let out groans of frustration as something happened in the game - it looked like some item made everyone but Amy shrink? And now she had turned into a giant… rocket… _thing_ , and was hurtling along the course ignoring everyone and everything.

"I'm not sure what's happening," Sammy announced. "What's happening?"

"Okay, so, the lightning makes everyone but the person who used it small," Amy explained. Clearly she'd done this already. "When they're small, you can drive over them and slow them down even more!"

"Right, okay, got that," Sammy said.

"And _then_ I picked up some sort of rocket item that sends me down the track at top speed. Helps me get closer to first place if I'm trailing."

"Ahh," Sammy replied. It certainly was helping, judging by all of the karts she was hitting along the way. "I'm still not all that familiar with it, but is it alright if I give it a shot afterwards?"

"You can have my spot," Shawn said, eyes not leaving the screen. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt that had that popular pyramid-with-an-eye thing on it, plus a pair of dark grey pants and white socks. "I gotta go do a zombie check soon."

Sitting right next to her, Sammy heard Amy huff in annoyance. She lightly elbowed her in the arm. "Let him have this."

"Fine," she quietly replied.

The race ended soon after, with Shawn and Beardo coming in first and second respectively by mere milliseconds. Leonard lost a place due to the shrinking and came sixth, while Amy moved up a few spots and attained seventh.

"Nice!" she cried, bouncing off the couch and startling the people around her. "That's the highest I got yet!"

"Wow. You are _way_ more into this than I first expected," Beardo told her with a laugh.

"I know, I'm just as surprised as you," she said to him. She was smiling widely, and unlike the times before it was joyful instead of sadistic. _This is like, an entirely new side to her._ "I'm not complaining though, this thing is fun. What's it called again?"

"Mario Kart?" Leonard asked with a tilt of his head.

"Well, _yeah_ , but like, the system! What are we playing on?"

Beardo and Leonard both went into an explanation on the console - called a 'Switch', a name both twins at least recognized - at the same time Shawn stood and tossed his controller to Sammy. "Go wild," he told her. "I'll be heading to the southeastern side of the island. If I'm not back in an hour-"

"Save ourselves?" Sammy replied with a smirk.

He cracked a smile and snapped a finger in her direction. "You're catching on! See ya later."

"Hang on!" Sammy said, suddenly remembering her goal. "Give me your contact info! I want to keep in touch once we leave here!"

"Oh, yeah sure," Shawn replied. He hauled out his phone - with a camouflaged case, but also with cracks splintering out from one of the corners - and he quickly gave her his number.

A text back confirmed it to be real, and Sammy could feel her insides warming in delight. _If I keep this up, I'm gonna have more than double the contacts than I had before._

"Alright, I'm out," he said, and made for the exit.

"Bye Shawn," she called out to him, loud enough for the others to hear and mimic.

"So, like," Amy was now saying, holding a small tablet-like thing in her hands. Whatever had been on the TV screen had now disappeared. "This thing can be played both in your hands _and_ on the TV? That's crazy AF."

"It's _really_ creative," Leonard said. "And also incredibly popular! I have one myself."

"Is it… expensive?" Amy asked.

"Couple hundred, and the games are about 80 bucks if you buy 'em new," Beardo explained. "There's almost _always_ some sort of sale going on somewhere though, and you're guaranteed to find games at cheaper prices if they were previously owned."

Amy hummed in thought, turning the device around in her hands. She stood up from the couch and put it in a sort of slot that was connected to the TV, and the screen lit up again with the game right where it had left off.

"Wow," Sammy said in awe. "That _is_ pretty neat."

"It kinda makes you think, though," Leonard said. "Why'd Chris go out of his way to get all this _stuff_ for us? There's just so much of it here, that even _I'm_ not able to play it all in the time we have. And I've been in the resort since the beginning!"

No one really had an answer for that. It did seem rather uncharacteristic of Chris to pamper the losers with so much fun and games - he was the type of guy who'd rather destroy it all in front of them then let them enjoy it. Sammy saw that first hand.

"Maybe he wants to torment the people who're still in the game," Amy said, her eyes glazed over in thought. "Like, sure, one of them is gonna win a million bucks, but while _that's_ happening the rest of us are living it up like royalty. And not all finalists are guaranteed the money."

"But why give us this in the first place?" Beardo asked. "It would've been easier for him to dump us on some _other_ island and leave us to fend for ourselves."

"True," Amy said. "So maybe he was forced to get this stuff for us. Or, someone else picked up all of this. I can't see him paying out of pocket for everything here without kicking and screaming."

"Good point," Sammy said, nodding. Amy smiled at her.

"That's pretty insightful," Beardo told her. "And… somewhat unexpected."

"Amy's got her strengths," Sammy said. "She's just… applying it to the right places now."

"Yeah," said the girl of the hour. "I'm, like, kinda good at reading people. And Chris doesn't do anything to hide his true colors, so it's easy to get a sense of what he'd do. He's honestly like an open book."

"It's how she helped Ella stay on the show, after she sang to save us."

"Really?" Beardo asked, surprised. In all of the talk about Scarlett and the self destruct sequence from last night, Sammy apparently ended up neglecting the part where Amy helped save the day. The fact that Amy hadn't called attention to it at the time spoke volumes. "How'd you manage that?"

"I tore Chris a new one." Amy smirked and leaned back, reveling in the memory of that moment. "He had it coming for, like, all of his life. And if I could, I'd do it again."

"His face turned as red as a tomato!" Sammy laughed, recalling the sight. "If it wasn't so tense, I would've died laughing!"

"Man, I wish I had seen that!" Beardo said. "Think you could do it again next time we see him?"

Amy shrugged. "No promises, but I can certainly try."

"I have no clue what we're all talking about," Leonard said, though he still wore a smile, "but I'm just happy to be here."

"Oh, right!" Sammy cried, and picked up the controller Shawn gave her. "C'mon, I want to try this thing out! Before it gets too late to do anything else!"

Amy, who was actually able to do so, gave her a rundown of the controls - simple in concept, but in practice it ended up being harder than she was expecting. It wasn't until the third or fourth race that she managed to come in a place that _wasn't_ last, but she had to admit it was entertaining.

"Honestly, this kind of racing is _so_ much more relaxing than Total Drama's," she told the others. "Though I suppose you could say that about mostly anything."

"It depends on how much work you put into it," Leonard told her. "People at a higher skill level can do some pretty crazy things."

"Pretty _nasty_ things, too," Beardo said with a grumble. "You can find yourself in first, and end up in last, _just_ before the finish line. And it all banks on what items the others currently have."

"Aw," Sammy replied, a sympathetic smile adorning her lips. "Did that happen to you once?"

"I don't talk about that day any more."

"Oookay. Sure. Duly noted."

They played for a few more rounds - Sammy repeatedly noting that Amy's list of questions about the game and system was growing rapidly - and soon the time had ended up becoming later than she would have liked. "Okay, so, not that this isn't fun, but I kinda want to do something else before the day ends."

"Sure, no problem," Beardo told her.

"What did you have in mind?" Amy asked.

"Weeell," she said, drawing the word out, "I know you guys have definitely already done this, but I would _love_ to go swimming in the pool."

"Yeah, that sounds fine," Amy agreed.

"Alright, let's go!" Beardo declared, turning the Switch off and heading for the door.

"Uh- Wait, just like that?" Sammy asked, watching him head out. She hadn't expected them to go along with it that quickly.

"Just like that," he answered. "Something big is going down tomorrow, so you get to do whatever you want today."

"For real?" _They're willing to give up their day for me? They really don't have to, but I_ would _prefer to hang out with friends than be alone… That would be way too similar to back before._ Sammy looked over at Amy, who nodded happily in agreement. The younger twin couldn't help the grateful, abashed grin forming on her face. "OMG, you guys… Thank you so much!"

"Hey," Amy said, putting her hand on her shoulder. "You deserve it."

In an effort to hide the tears of overwhelming happiness and pride, Sammy engulfed Amy into a giant hug. "Thanks, Amy."

Her sister didn't hesitate to return the embrace. "Starting now, anytime." After a lingering pause, she suddenly said, "Oh, wow, you give really good hugs, you know?"

"I am?" Sammy asked, genuinely surprised by this. "I had no idea."

"Yeah, it-" Amy faltered for a moment. "It… feels really good. Comforting, y'know?"

Sammy idly wondered when the last time Amy felt warm and cared for like this, and did whatever she could to make the hug better.

Amy tightened her grip, almost a bit too much, but she spoke before any protests could be made. "Thanks, Sam."

Sammy could feel the eyes of Beardo and Leonard on them, and decided that she should end the hug soon. However, an idea formed. Grinning wildly, Sammy said with a lilt in her voice, "I _Aim-y_ to please!"

Her sister immediately pulled away and stood up. "Aaand I regret everything now."

"Oh, come on," Sammy groaned playfully, lying across the armrest to grin up at her sister, "I didn't A- _mean_ anything by it!"

"Oh my _GOD_ will you stop?!" Amy shouted, her anger rising to its old levels. "Puns are _not_ funny! And these ones aren't even _good!_ When will you get that through your thick skull?!"

"Hmm, you're right," Sammy said, nodding in understanding. "I guess I'll have to-" She held up the controller still in her hand, "- _Switch_ up my act."

Amy literally _screamed_ and stomped out of the room, leaving the other three behind to double over in laughter.

"She walked _right_ into that one," Sammy said, feeling her confidence skyrocket at being able to tease Amy without repercussions.

"I never took you for the pun-type," Leonard said to her in between laughing fits. His laugh was kind of nasally, but Sammy didn't mind it. She would never mock a person for their laugh - it was special to them and them alone, and if it was the sound they made when they were happy, she would be overjoyed to hear more of it.

"I always have been, I just used to keep them to myself," Sammy admitted. "Now… I kinda don't want to do that."

"That's the only right response," Beardo told her, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Anyway, I want that hot tub, so I'm leaving. Y'all coming with?"

"I'll stay here," Leonard said, standing from the chair and examining a case filled with little cartridges. "I want to try and beat Breath of the Wild again before we leave."

"Is that another game?" Sammy asked.

Leonard opened his mouth to speak, a wide grin on his face, but Beardo covered it before any sound could be uttered. "It is, but we don't have the time for you to go into detail about it, bud." Good-naturedly, Leonard shrugged. "You can tell her about it later. For now, we got us a pool to get to."

"Heck yeah!" Sammy popped off the couch and pumped herself up for some swimming. "But, first, give me your numbers! I'm trying to get as many people as I can before our time is up here."

They happily did so, and Sammy decided that she was going to come up with unique names for each of them when she had the time.

And the minute she got home, she was going to text them all.

She couldn't remember the last time she actually did anything like that.

* * *

The swim was _amazing_. The pool was just an average pool, minus that tiki bar in the middle of it, but a casual swim was another thing that helped to calm her down. She swam a few laps back and forth, played a few water games with Amy (such as volleyball, which they requested the aid of a few interns to get the net out from a storage room nearby), and when they were done, simply floated on her back for a good while to find a sense of peace.

Unlike Amy's suit, Sammy's swimsuit was less revealing and more respectable, though it was still a two-piece. The top was blue and came up around her neck and completely covered her chest, while the bottom was white and had blue stripes running horizontally across it. It was simple and not at all flashy, which was something Sammy preferred and appreciated.

She spent a while there, lying on top of the water. Aside from herself, Amy and Beardo, Dave was still in a chair reading his book, and Topher was off to the side suntanning and had likely fallen asleep. _He deserves it_ , Sammy thought bitterly. Aside from them, everyone else was elsewhere and likely doing their own thing.

While she was lazily floating, her mind would occasionally find its way back to thinking about Ella and what might be happening on the island. Her mind tried to pummel her with thoughts of Ella getting hurt, of getting eliminated, of the others teaming up on her and trying to break her further. But then, Sammy did everything in her power to ignore those thoughts and remind herself how capable Ella was. It was true, she wasn't all that strong, or fast, or athletically fit for a competition like this, but she had determination and heart, and if that hadn't been enough for others to win Total Drama before, Sammy would willingly call herself a liar.

Sammy _knew_ Ella would be alright. She had proven herself before now - she just had to do it again.

They spent a bit more time outside, and around five-ish they were called in for dinner. It was… _surreal_ , to say the least, to sit down at the dinner table with nine other people and have a meal with. The only other time she had sat with anywhere near this many people was one of her and Amy's earlier birthdays, where their grandparents and their dog came up from the States to visit them, and even then it was only a total of five people compared to the ten here. It was loud and chaotic and kind of its own form of competition to get the food that you wanted, especially when Sugar was hogging most of it. _Is this what parties or family gatherings are supposed to feel like?_

Sammy took as much as she could, and savoured every bite of it, absently realizing that she was probably going to do that for any food she ate from now on. There was talking amongst them, but she mostly kept to herself and really only spoke when she was spoken to, and it was mostly only to her group of friends.

By the time she finished her food, most of the others had already left. Leonard had dragged away Beardo, Shawn and - most shockingly - _Max_ for their D&D session, Sugar followed them with her eyes glued to Leonard, Dave left to do his own thing in his room, and Rodney and Topher (whose skin was now a bit _too_ tanned) left the room together. Topher pointedly did _not_ look at the girls, which Sammy was thankful for.

The only people left now were her and Amy, who was waiting for her to finish. "You don't have to wait if you don't want to," Sammy told her, her plate half full of fries and gravy. "I was probably just going to head back to my room for a bit. Get a shower, freshen up, y'know?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Amy said, and she stood up from the table. "I was hoping to do the same. Some time alone doesn't sound too bad."

"I'll see you later then?" Sammy asked.

"You got it," she replied. "Beardo likes having those parties around nine or 10 o'clock, so you should come out then."

Sammy thought that over. "Probably. But I was hoping to go down by that giant net, to see who was eliminated."

"Ohh. Uh. We're actually not allowed to do that."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah," Amy nodded. "That order came from Chef, apparently. Something about not wanting us to interfere with the interns' work."

"That's… fair," Sammy said. "Alright, I'll be out by the pool by nine."

"Sweet. Later."

Sammy sighed and worked on the remains of her food. _Guess I'm waiting, then._

She finished up and returned to her room. She showered (it went much quicker this time), took the opportunity to shave her legs, and when she felt refreshed she lid down on her bed and scrolled through her phone. She hadn't had the chance to update herself with what the world was doing since she left for the show, so she took the time to do so. It turns out, not much had happened. At least, not much she was interested in.

She found herself looking out the window. By this time, the sun was beginning to set, the cloudless sky turning a bright orange. Her mind went back to the island automatically, to the evenings her team had spent around the campfire, eating either berries or fast food. All of that was starting to become another reality away from this one. Now that she was here in the resort, she doubted she'd be able to go back to living on island scraps, even if there was a million dollars on the line.

But she couldn't just _ignore_ that other reality. Ella was still there, and was either prepping herself for the cannon or for the challenge tomorrow. And Sammy was here, away from her and unable to help. No matter how capable Ella was, Sammy would still have wanted to do something for her, something _more_ than eliminate herself to let her keep going. But there was nothing that could have been done, not when she was so far away from her. She had a great time today, getting to reconnect with her friends over games and swimming, but those were just distractions from the bigger picture. A picture Sammy wasn't able to see all of clearly.

 _Maybe… Maybe I should stop thinking about what I can't do here, and think about what I_ can _._

She stared out the window for another while longer. Then realization struck. She sat up on the bed, opened her phone to the Internet, and typed into the search bar,

_**how to care for someone who cuts** _

* * *

The beat of the music pounded into her heart, but Sammy's mind was elsewhere, as she expected would happen. Beardo and the others were enjoying themselves, which was nice. And it seemed like they all expected her to be distracted anyway, as they were leaving her alone off to the side of the pool. She appreciated them doing that, and spent the first hour or two after sunset watching the sky for any incoming teenage girls.

She sat over the side of one of the poolside chairs, not feeling up to lying down at the moment, and simply waited with her hands folded on her lap. Her fingers and toes fidgeted from her overworked nerves, and truthfully it reminded her too much of how she felt before now. _Why won't my brain listen to me and_ calm down _?_

The chair sunk down slightly, startling Sammy out of her thoughts. Amy was there, her own eyes trained on the sky, apparently willing to help her look. She didn't say anything, though she did give her younger sister a glance and a smile. Sammy smiled right back, and returned to looking.

In the end, it turned out to be useless. For one, Sammy belatedly remembered this was not the proper direction the contestants would be fired from. For two, it was much too dark and loud to see or hear anyone outside of the resort's pool area. She felt silly, and her mind was trying to call her worse, but Amy just laughed it off and slapped her on the back, saying she had no idea either. At least she could find solidarity in that.

They stayed where they were, though, and continued to chat. Sammy and Amy did not have _too_ much in common, but there was enough that they could freely talk with one another. A lot of their conversations revolved around Total Drama, both the game they played in plus games from the past. Which seasons were their favorite, which classic competitors they'd like to meet in real life, which moments from the past were their favorites… They did find common ground in the form of other topics of conversation, but it was mostly focused on the show.

Sammy was glad that Amy was there for her. It was not long ago that Amy would have left her to the wolves, or be the wolf herself, but now she could tell she was trying her best to be on her side. Maybe they'd be able to be actual sisters now, when they returned home. Sammy was elated at the idea.

And all of this happened because she decided to make an audition video on her phone one day.

Sammy tried to imagine where she would be now if she hadn't done that… And decided that that was something she didn't want to think about.

The twins were talking about different restaurants they might want to go to when they got back home. Beardo was mixing his tunes, Shawn was off against the wall, everyone was enjoying themselves to the fullest.

A lull in the song allowed her to hear her surroundings normally. And that was when the door to the resort opened.

Spinning around, Sammy focused all of her attention on the people coming in, keeping her eyes peeled for any familiar faces. But for the moment, it was just an intern.

Then another intern.

Intern.

Intern.

Inter-

_Sky._

A thousand and one thoughts bombarded her mind at once - _Is Sky okay, what happened on the island, Ella's in the finals_ \- but she forced all of them aside and ran up to her newly returned friend.

Sky, for the most part, looked alright. Her hair was frazzled and she was wide-eyed, but with the method of transportation she had just experienced that would obviously be natural. Just like Sammy before her, she had a warm blanket wrapped around her and a cup in her hand, which smelled of tea. It took a moment for Sky to notice her, but when she did she gave her a shaky yet warm smile. "Long time no see," she said to her, her voice hoarse and low.

Sammy chuckled. "Too long."

" _Skyyyyy!_ "

Sky had a single second to utter, "Uh oh," before she was lifted off of the ground and brought into a bear hug. Her cup of tea went spilling to the floor, forgotten entirely as Beardo began spinning her around, all but ignoring her shouts of protestation.

"Beardo, set her down! Remember the canon!" Sammy tried despite the smile on her face, only for him not to hear her.

Shawn came up then, looking to get a few words in but then was unexpectedly hit in the face by Sky's foot, sending him into the pool. Everyone, aside from Sky, burst out laughing.

As Sky tore herself from Beardo and dove in to help Shawn, Sammy was doubled over in laughter. Both at what she had just witnessed, and pure relief at what this meant.

_Ella's still in. She can win! It's going to be okay! Everything will be okay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it. Life in the Playa, reconnecting with friends, and the reveal of the Finalists. The whole story's been leading up to this moment. We're finally about to reach the endgame here, and I couldn't be more excited to share it with you all.
> 
> But first, some facts about this chapter: Sarah is a completely original character whose name is literally the first name I thought of. She doesn't serve much purpose other than to be there and help out when she can. I may incorporate her later on, but right now she's a side character and shouldn't be given much thought (although I do enjoy writing her).
> 
> Originally, it was going to be Sammy who was having a lot of fun with Mario Kart, but I changed it to Amy for a few reasons. One, Amy's whole thing from before was that she was in control, of her sister, of her surroundings, etc. Now that she isn't in control, she needs to find an outlet, and since video games are all about controlling characters, I feel like that would be a good substitute. And two, I find it entertaining that Amy of all people would find enjoyment in games. We'll see where that goes in the future.
> 
> And yes, while Sammy does have the goal of getting to know the people she's never really talked with before, her day at the resort was some well-earned 'Me Time'. She'll start working on it soon.
> 
> Now, there's something else I need to mention. I have a bit of a surprise for you guys which you can find in my profile…
> 
> Yes, that's right! If all things went according to plan, you will be able to find a brand new, one-shot chapter featuring Ella during the day's challenge! There was a reason it took so long to get these chapters up - I wanted to drop them on you at the same time! So please read Dance of the Sugar Plum Pixie to get the full idea of what happened when Sammy wasn't around to witness it. It's actually kind of important to the plot to read it as well, as Stuff and Things happen that might not make much sense if you continue to read this story / wait for me to upload the final chapter (depending on when you're reading this).
> 
> And that's it for me now. Expect the finale in the coming weeks! I'll talk about it more then and there. Take care, all!


	19. Flight of the Valkyries

Sammy, still in a state of drowsiness, idly brushed her teeth in the bathroom. She had lost track of how long she'd been standing there, but after going for so many days without cleaning them whatsoever, spending a bit more time than normal at it was probably the correct thing to do. She planned to brush her hair afterwards, even though they were explicitly told last night to simply leave it as it was.

Which was the reason she was up at this ungodly hour. After Sky landed at the resort and had told them of how she ended up losing to Ella and Jasmine, one of the interns had called them all together to announce the plans for the finale. As it turned out, they were to go back to the island to witness the last challenge, and that there would be two people of the bottom 12 chosen to help one contestant or the other. Sammy, obviously, hoped she was chosen to help Ella.

Chances were, though, she wouldn't be chosen to help either Finalist. Her luck was just like that, sometimes.

But at the moment, Sammy was ready to fall asleep once more, and she'd do it standing up if need be. _Whyyyyy does it have to be before the sun rises? We didn't even get up this early for the_ first _flight to the island…_

She finished brushing her teeth, decided to just put her hair back in its ponytail and not brush it, and returned to the bedroom to set her sights on _that_. Even with her eyes half closed from exhaustion, Sammy was able to glare hatefully at the torn, dirty, smelly and now absolutely worthless cheerleader uniform waiting for her on the bed. The intern insisted everyone hop back into the clothes they had worn on the island. Apparently it had something to do with the consistency of the cast's appearances or something. Either that or the crew thought all TV watchers were idiots and could only tell people apart by what they wore.

Maybe they did actually think that, considering the whole 'Sam' thing the other day. _Bunch of jerks._

Her entire body told her to not do it, but she had to. There was literally no way she could go back in anything else and get away with it. Sammy pulled the top back on, let out a sound of disgust when the stink infiltrated her nostrils, and set to work on the rest of it.

A full five minutes of groaning later, and Sammy exited her room, shuffled down the hall in a daze, and banged on her sister's door. "You up?" she asked through it, loud enough to be heard.

A few moments passed, and Amy opened up. She, too, was in her uniform, and was giving Sammy a look of shock. " _You're_ out of your room before me? Who are you and what did you do with my sister?"

"Ha ha," Sammy droned, unamused. "Funny."

Compared to her, Amy looked like she had been up for hours. _She always was the early bird to my bed bug._ The intern had highly advised not using makeup, to give everyone that 'still living on a deserted island' vibe, but apparently Amy hadn't been listening to that part of the conversation. She hadn't even bothered to remove the paint on her nails. "Just so you know," Amy said, giving Sammy a full inspection, "you kinda look like shit."

Sammy gave her a look.

Amy quickly shook her hands in defence. "Ah wait, that wasn't an insult! It was an… an observation!"

Sammy still wasn't impressed, but sighed anyway. "Yeah, I kinda figured it was. And yes, I _do_ look like I just crawled out of a toilet. I also feel like it too."

"And smell like it," Amy added, waving her hand in front of her nose as she looked at the uniform. "Can't forget that."

"How could I," Sammy said dryly.

She must have realized she was only digging herself deeper, as she chuckled nervously and slung an arm around Sammy. "Well, hey, at least we both stink together."

Sammy couldn't keep the smile off her face. "That we do. Ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Amy said. The two of them began the trek to the foyer. "That island is the _last_ place I ever want to go again."

"Agreed. Can I be honest for a second?"

"Go for it."

"After all this time, I don't even know how to pronounce its name. Paw-key… something."

Amy barked out a laugh. "That makes two of us."

"Sky would know though. She's Cree, and speaks the language."

"She is? Huh. I always thought she was First Nations or something."

"…Amy, Cree _is_ First Nations."

"…Oh. Don't tell her I said that."

The two descended the stairs to the entrance hall, where four people were currently standing and waiting - Sky and Dave, who were chatting together, as well as Rodney and Sugar who were off against the wall, minding their own business. Rodney at least had the courtesy to wave, which the girls returned, but it looked like Sugar didn't even hear them coming, being too busy filing down her nails.

The twins walked up to Sky and Dave. "Good morning," Sky said to them, before looking Sammy in the face. "Better not let Shawn see you like that, 'cuz you look like a zombie."

"Yup," Sammy said with a roll of her eyes. "Feel like one too."

"And sme-"

"Yes, and smell, thank you Amy."

At that, Dave took two steps away.

"Good call," said Amy, grabbing the hem of her shirt. "This stuff hasn't been washed yet."

"Yeah, I was afraid of that," Dave moaned.

"Hey, by the way," Sky said. "How's your leg doing? I forgot to ask that yesterday."

"My leg?" Amy asked. "Oh! My leg!" She stuck out and shook the leg that had been bitten so long ago. "Yeah, it's all better. There's some like, teeth-shaped scars, but it doesn't hurt anymore. I actually forgot about it til now."

"That's good," Sky said.

"Yeah, I kinda forgot about it too," Sammy admitted. "Which is weird because how can you forget the time a _wolf_ bit you?"

"You got bitten by a _wolf?_ " Dave asked, startled.

"A robot wolf, more than likely," Sammy told him. "I think it was… two days after you left?"

"Ohh. No wonder I didn't know that. It didn't have, uh, robot rabies did it?"

Amy looked at him in mild confusion. "Uhh, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it did not," she answered.

"Pfft-" Sammy looked at Amy's leg. "Limb…"

" _Shut up._ "

"Hey, actually, there's probably a _lot_ you don't know," Sky said to Dave. "I can bring you up to date, if you'd like."

For some reason, Sammy noticed him perk up at the word 'date'. "Uh, yeah, sure! That would be great!"

"Wait, what? Didn't I already…" Sammy started, before realizing that Dave wasn't listening to her. He and Sky began talking once again, this time about the events of the game that he missed, and they actually began to move away from them. "Huh."

"Yeah," Amy said, apparently seeing the same thing. "Huh."

"And… wouldn't Sky technically be the dirtiest out of all of us?"

"She totally is."

"So why _isn't_ he standing six feet away from her?"

"Something tells me David's crushing _hard_ and doing nothing to hide it."

Now that she was looking, Sammy could totally see it. She vaguely remembered possibly seeing it at the beginning of the game, too, when Dave was still there, but so much had happened that she sort of forgot about it.

"Salutations, early risers!"

The two of them turned back towards the stairs, and Amy gawked. "OM _G_ , I forgot all about _that._ "

Leonard had appeared at the top of the stairs, cloaked once more in his wizard robes, hat and beard. "Wow," Sammy said, less in awe and more in surprise. "Now _this_ is a throwback."

He made his way down the stairs, almost tripped over his robe, and reached the floor as if nothing had happened. "Heh," he chuckled. "Close one."

"What the heck's up with this costume anyway?" Amy asked him, not one for being subtle.

"It's for role playing," Leonard answered. If he had taken any offence to Amy's blunt question, he didn't show it. "You were in the room when we played D&D once, right? That's what it's for, to get into the mindspace of the characters you're playing. And also, some people just like to dress up. You know, for cosplay and such."

"Well, yeah, I got that," she answered.

"You did?" Sammy asked, mostly to herself. " _I_ still don't really understand…"

Neither of them seemed to hear her. "I meant like, why'd you wear it on the show. Was it just for fun, or…?"

He shrugged. "Just for fun. I thought it would be entertaining to go on the show as something no one else did before. Buuut I think I might have made a miscalculation on that end."

Sammy found her chance to jump back in. "Well, y'know, compared to evil geniuses and zombie nuts, a magical wizard probably fits in more than you realize," she told him with a wry smirk.

"Huh," Leonard said, rubbing his chin. "I never thought of it like that before!"

He was all smiles and rainbows now, not that he wasn't already. "Someone's optimistic," Amy whispered to her sister.

"It's not a bad quality to have," Sammy said.

"Anyways," Leonard said, clearing his throat. It could easily be seen in his posture that he had switched to In-Character Mode. "I hope you all had a restful sleep, because today we witness history being made! Who else is overflowing with joy to return to the island?!"

Before anyone else could get a word in, negative or otherwise, Sugar literally burst onto the scene and nearly knocked Sammy flat on her butt. "I am!" the southerner shouted with a raised hand. "I left my hand mirror in the treehouse and I want it back! Mr. Wizard, can you use some 'a that magic of yours to help me find it?"

As Leonard replied in the affirmative, Amy quietly cursed under her breath. "Ah, dammit _._ "

"What's wrong?" Sammy asked, just as quietly.

"Uhh, I _may_ have used that mirror a couple of times after she left," Amy admitted to her in a whisper as she rubbed her neck. "And then after I lost to you in that water challenge I _may_ have threw it at the wall."

Sammy's jaw fell open. " _Amy!_ " she hissed.

"I'm sorry! I was upset!"

"You shouldn't be taking it out on other peoples' stuff!"

"I know that _now!_ I didn't back then!"

"You need to apologize!"

"But she's gonna get mad! And, yeah, maybe I deserve it, but…"

"It's the right thing to do."

Amy tried to come up with an argument, but soon sighed in defeat and hung her head. "I know."

The two girls walked up to Sugar and Leonard, the latter regaling some sort of tabletop tale for the former as she listened with gusto. Amy cleared her throat, and Sugar turned back around with a glare. "What? Can't you see you're _interruptin'_ story time?"

Amy grimaced, and Sammy jabbed her in the kidney. "Ow!" She scowled, but said nothing. Amy glanced up at Sugar and then averted her eyes. "Hi. Sorry. I broke your mirror after you left."

"That could have used more tact," Sammy told her.

"Shut up! I'm still new at this!"

There was no immediate reaction from Sugar, as she stared neutrally at Amy. Amy, for her part, didn't actually crumble under the stare, though she also didn't exactly meet it. Leonard had also stopped his talking to see what would happen, though he didn't contribute himself. Sammy kept an eye on all of them, ready to hold someone back should they pounce.

Then, Sugar glanced to Sammy. Then back to Amy. Then to Sammy again.

"Wait," she said. "Which one of you was which again?"

The twins' jaws fell open, and they facepalmed at the same time.

"I'm Amy," said Amy.

"I'm Sammy," said Sammy.

Sugar still looked confused, but after a second her eyes lit up. "Oh, right! Amy and Samey, I remember now!"

"Wh- No! It's _Sammy!_ "

"That's what I said," Sugar insisted, but then stopped paying attention to Sammy at all. "You said you broke my mirror?" she asked Amy.

"Uhhh," Amy started, but didn't get the chance.

"It's fine!" Sugar waved a hand, dismissing everything. "I still got at _least_ ten back up in my room. I figured something might'a happened to it on the island, so I took one of my least favorite ones with me on the blimp thing. Thought I had lost the rest of 'em when it went down, but turns out I didn't! Smart thinkin' on my end, wasn't it?"

That was an unexpected development, a thought that the twins both shared if the look they gave each other meant anything. That said, Sugar was then looking at both of them expectantly, as if she were waiting for them to agree with her. "Uh. Yeah, Sugar," Sammy said, unsure if the uncertainty in her voice was noticeable. "Real smart of you."

"Shockingly," Amy grumbled. Sammy stepped on her foot in response. "Ow!"

"Yeah, I know," Sugar boasted, clearly not hearing Amy. "But not as smart as the wizard! He can learn any language after readin' it for a bit! Ain't that amazin'?!"

The twins looked to Leonard, who shrugged at them, but masterfully stayed in character at the same time. "Please, it is nothing to brag about. I can tell you, however, about the time that I commanded a group of fellow adventurers to face Guluth, the Dragonlord, in a grand battle the likes you have never seen!"

"Oh, heck yeah! Did you use your fireballs to blow it to kingdom come?!"

"Kingdom Come was nowhere near the battlefield… Which made it even more epic when I _did!_ "

Leonard, miraculously and thankfully, led Sugar off to one of the other corners of the room, leaving Sammy and Amy to sigh in relief. "Thank _god_ those two weren't on the same team," Amy mumbled.

"Agreed," Sammy said. "They probably wouldn't have stopped talking."

"Nothing against Leonard, 'cuz he's pretty chill when not acting like… _that_ , but Sugar on the other hand _is_ like that 24/7, and no way in _hell_ am I dealing with her again."

"She was? Wow, that must've been rough."

"You have no idea."

"If _that's_ the case, how can Leonard even put up with her?"

"He's got the patience of a saint, that's for sure."

"Hey, morning- _Agh, zombie!_ "

The second Sammy turned to greet Shawn, he shrieked, literally leaped over the railing and hid behind the staircase. Sammy groaned and ran a hand down her face, Amy burst into hysterical laughter, and from somewhere behind them Sky shouted out, "Told you so!"

Sammy walked up to the staircase with her hands on her hips. "Shawn, come out from there," she said to him in exasperation. "I am _very_ alive, thank you very much."

"That's exactly what a zombie would say!" he cried back.

"Zombies can't even- Ugh." She decided to try a different approach. "What would Jasmine say if she saw you like this? Hiding behind the stairs and not taking the fight to the zombie?"

There was a brief pause, and Shawn's eyes poked out from behind the rails. "First of all, low blow, dude. Second, I'd like to think Jasmine would respect a tactical retreat. Third, are you asking me to _fight_ you?"

"Wh- _No!_ It's a hypothetical situation, man!"

"Oh. I knew that." Shawn took another second, then rose to his full height. "I, uh, seem to have made a mistake. Now that I see you in a better light, you are most definitely _not_ a zombie."

"Could've fooled me!" Amy said from a few steps away.

"You stay out of this!" Sammy shouted back, to which Amy laughed even harder.

"What are we arguing about now?" came the tired voice of Beardo from the top of the stairs. "Can't a guy nearly pass out in the hallway in peace?"

"Morning Beardo," Sammy called out to him, a few of the others doing the same. Max appeared to be walking behind him, though he didn't extend any greeting. Sammy, not wanting to leave anyone out, decided to be the one to speak. "Also Max. Good morning."

The bags under his eyes was all Sammy needed to tell that he was _also_ not an early riser. "There is nothing 'good' about this morning, you simpleton," he murmured in a daze. "Evil does _not_ work well on anything less than eight hours."

Sammy chose to ignore the rude comment. "Riiight. Good to know." She walked back to Amy and whispered to her, "What's your read on this guy, by the way?"

Amy pursed her lips and critically scrutinized him. "I think he's just a brat who's trying to come off as more dangerous than he actually is. I kinda ignored him for most of the time when he was there."

"Hmm… He _did_ electrocute Ella that one time… With Scarlett's help, but still."

"Huh. Good point. There could be more to him than he lets on, but I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you."

"I guess I can still _try_. But I'm not expecting all that much."

"What are you two mumbling about?" he asked, walking up to them. "Speak louder, so I may hear you!"

Sammy and Amy shared a glance. The older twin shrugged, and the younger sighed. "We were just talking about how… _evil_ and _world-conquer-y_ you look today."

Amy raised a brow. "Uhh… We were?" Sammy went to elbow her again, but Amy was prepared and blocked it. "Uh, yeah, we were. Apparently."

Max's eyes widened for a second, then he straightened up and cleared his throat. "G-Good. You can see _pure evil_ where it stands, which is an admirable ability. I'll have you know, flattery will get you nowhere, but if ever I am ready to enlist the help of a new minion, I'll keep you in mind."

"That's… great?" Sammy glanced at Amy for help, only for Amy to quickly shake her head and walk off. Sammy gawked at her. _No, wait, don't leave me here!_

Max paused in his speech, and looked between Sammy and Amy's retreating form. "Actually, remind me, which one are you again? The noisy one or the melancholic one?"

Sammy sighed heavily. _Is this going to keep happening with the people I've never talked to before?_ " _Sammy_. I'm _Sammy._ "

Max squinted his eyes at her. "That… tells me nothing."

"I was the one who _wasn't_ on your team."

"Ah! There, that wasn't so hard was it?"

Sammy folded her arms and frowned down at him. _I'm starting to see why Scarlett wanted him gone ASAP._

"But yes, this is good to know," Max said, and then began to walk away. "If ever I need assistance with a task, you shall be the first to know. Good day to you!"

With him gone, Sammy sighed once more in relief. _There's… probably_ some _good in him. I'll try again later. If I have the time. Or if I even want to._

She decided to approach her other friends, just in case Max made the decision to come back to her. Beardo and Shawn were still by the staircase, talking about something she didn't catch, but she forced herself into their conversation anyway. "Hi, I've had too much evil today and it's barely past five AM. Talk to me so it looks like I'm busy."

Both of the guys laughed at her situation, which made Sammy's face go red in frustration. "Max is fine, if a little… creative." Beardo rubbed the back of his neck. "He actually _is_ pretty smart, you know. He managed to spruce up my DJ station the night we found it."

"Oh. Really?" Sammy asked. "That's… surprising."

"It _totally_ was. It plays a _lot_ better than I had been expecting it would."

"I don't have much experience with the guy," Shawn said, though his eyes narrowed. "But he seems like the type who'd unleash a zombie virus to the rest of the world just for shits and giggles."

"Man, you are _paranoid,_ " Beardo commented.

"I'm _prepared._ There's a difference."

"You think we can, like, get Max to be not as… Max-like?" Sammy asked, reigning the conversation back in. "Make it so talking with him _isn't_ a trial of patience?"

The two of them thought about it, then Beardo said, "We could sic Ella on him."

"Excuse me?" Sammy asked with a frown.

"Ohh, yeah," Shawn agreed. "All the flowery speech and bubbly personality traits will get him to loosen up easy."

"Killing him with kindness is the way to go, then," Beardo said, and both boys laughed.

"I can't believe we're having this conversation now," Sammy sighed. "It's way too early for this."

"You brought it up, dude."

"I wasn't expecting it to go in _this_ direction!"

She was thankfully spared any further grievances when the sound of a loud motor was heard. Rodney opened the door to show that it was a large green helicopter, and that it was touching down just on the beach, its engines turning off and the propeller coming to a stop after a few minutes. After exiting the aircraft, Chef Hatchet, in his pilot's uniform, spoke to a few interns and then walked up to the resort's front door.

He rubbed at his eyes, clearly as tired as the rest of them, and looked around the room. "Ah, good, you're all here. Time to pile in." He threw his thumb over his shoulder.

"Hang on, not yet," Sky said, hand raised. "We're missing one."

Chef did a quick headcount. "…Eight, nine, _ten._ Yep, you're right. Good eye, Squirt."

"Squirt?!"

"We need _everyone_ on board," Chef explained to them, ignoring Sky's outburst. "Host's orders. Someone want to go and get Topher?"

Sammy made sure her hand did _not_ go up. As did everyone else.

Chef sighed and walked further in. " _Fine._ Y'all get seated in the chopper. I'll be down with him, even if he's kicking and screaming."

Everyone filed out of the resort and down to the beach. The interns were there making sure everything was good to go, but they ultimately paid no mind to the contestants. Sky and Dave entered the helicopter first, and though Rodney was after them he stayed back in order to help the others on board. That said, no one seemed to want his help, as a lot of them ignored him and hopped up themselves.

Sammy could tell this upset him, even if he didn't say anything about it, and decided to take him up on his offer. With his hand outstretched for anyone accepting the help, Sammy put her own hand in his and used it to hoist herself up. "Thank you, Rodney," she said to him in what she hoped was a sweet voice. With how tired she was, it could come off as anything but.

Rodney, however, had turned beet red. "Uh, you're w… w… wagon wheel."

"…Right, okay." And Sammy hurriedly scuttled into the cabin of the helicopter and looked for her sister.

Four rows of seats greeted her as she entered. The first three rows had three seats each, while the one up against the back wall had five seats. Each row faced another, and Sammy found her sister sitting in the second row's middle seat, next to Beardo and across from Sky and Dave.

Sammy plopped down into the unoccupied seat next to Amy, who looked at her curiously. "You look sick to your stomach. You got a fear of flying now, on top of everything else?"

"Uhh… I mean after the last two times I was in the air, it's likely." She turned to Amy and tried to ask as nonchalantly as possible, "So, hey, what's your take on Rodney?"

Amy frowned. "Uhh… Mmkay, that's out of the blue, but… Heee's… built like a brick wall, and has the brains of one too."

"Ah- _Amy_!"

"It's the truth!" she defended. "I could barely hold an actual conversation with him the few times I tried!"

The one time Sammy had witnessed that, she recalled Rodney talking… oddly, which was putting it nicely. And then there was just then, where he said something about a wagon wheel. Was Amy on to something? "Huh… Maybe he's had a concussion before?"

"I literally have no idea. I tried talking to him again when I got here, but that went nowhere and I haven't tried again since."

Sammy watched as the last of the contestants entered the chopper, including Shawn (who was complaining about the close proximity of everyone, but nonetheless took the seat next to Dave) and then Rodney himself. He took a single glance at Sammy, immediately turned away and headed to the back of the plane. "Yeah, something's up with him alright," Sammy whispered, wishing not for him to overhear.

"It almost looked like he was…" Amy started, staring at the ground in concentration. "I dunno. _Embarrassed_ or something. Like, his face was all red."

"I noticed that too, when he talked to me just then."

Amy's eyes widened slightly. "And, like, almost every single time _I've_ spoken to him, too."

The stuttering, the blushing… It almost seemed like he was…

The twins shared a look. "You don't think…"

"Could be."

"Huh."

"I mean…" Amy smirked and nudged Sammy with her elbow. "He _did_ call you the most attractive girl on the island, didn't he?"

Sammy's eyes widened in that realization, and she placed her head in _both_ of her palms. "Oh my _God_ … Please don't remind me about that."

"Hey, at least we know what's up with him now."

"I guess." Sammy sighed and thought it over for a moment, then said, "I might… try talking to him once the game's over. Let him down gently, you know?"

"Good idea. I, uh, I've seen the looks he's been giving _me_ , too, so I might do the same."

Sammy smiled at her sister. "What a nice person you are."

Amy rolled her eyes and gently shoved her. "Be quiet."

"This is good, though," Sammy said, and leaned back into her seat happily. "Your team was… odd, but some of them were harmless enough." Amy opened her mouth, but Sammy interrupted, "I said _some_ of them."

"I was just gonna say, ' _some_ of them' is right."

"But those guys who were just playing the game, who weren't trying to _kill_ us, they're alright, if somewhat… out there. That said, I guess that's no different from like, Shawn or Leonard or Ella, even, from before at least. They're probably worth talking to, to try and get them to open up."

Amy gave her a look. "Is that why you were asking about them? 'Cuz you want to try talking to them?"

"Yeah, I think so. Ella and I were discussing it the other day, about how I should give people more than one chance to be the best they can be." She bumped her shoulder into Amy's. "For instance, Example A…my."

It took a solid two seconds for the pun to set in, at which point her entire face dropped into a glare. "Oh _lord_ I hate you so much right now."

She couldn't help the self-satisfied smirk on her face. "I know you do."

Amy shook her head in disgust and proceeded to ignore Sammy's entire existence - _Totally worth it IMO_ \- but her attention was drawn to the helicopter's entrance, at which point her glare fell into an even deeper frown. "Uh," she mumbled. "Does talking to people from my team involve _him_?"

Sammy looked up, just in time to see Topher look right at them. His hair wasn't as vertical as it normally was - he probably got dragged out of the bathroom before he had a chance to finish working on it. Sammy felt herself grimace at the mere sight of him, and made no effort to hide it. "I'm gonna say no. Or rather, not yet."

"But you might?" Amy asked.

"Maybe. Depends on if he apologizes to me or not, for almost having me killed."

And then, of course, he had the _audacity_ to smile like a snake and saunter over to them. "Amy and Samey! It's been a while, hasn't it?" he said to them in that infuriatingly suave voice. Sammy felt like she actually might puke. "How've my favorite pair of twins been doing?"

"Better since you left the island," Sammy snapped back. "Now? Not so good."

A few of the others stopped their conversations to listen in. Topher, meanwhile, actually _laughed_ at that. "Harsh! I see you're just as quick witted as before. How is it that such scorn is coming from the girl who could barely stand up for herself two weeks ago?"

"I've had a lot of time to grow up," she told him. "Unlike some other people I know."

He looked mock-hurt, and even put a hand over his chest to play it up. "You wound me! I'll have you known that I've grown so much that I-"

"Dude, just give it a rest!" Amy suddenly yelled at him. She looked ready to blow a gasket. "You're not on TV anymore, so quit acting like a jackass!"

Everyone in the helicopter, not just those around them, looked at her in surprise. That included Topher himself, though it seemed like he was trying to hide it. "Amy!" he called out happily. "What a _delight_! We have so much to catch up on!"

"We have _nothing_ to catch up on," she seethed, glaring daggers at him. "Quit pretending you actually care about us and sit down."

"Wow, touchy much?" he asked. He chuckled once more, though this time Sammy thought she could hear just a hint of nervousness in it. "And here I thought you, yourself had actually changed. Sad to see that I'm wrong on that."

"Ohh, no, buddy, I _have_ changed," Amy said with a humorless laugh, and stood to her full height (which didn't meet Topher's height but the point was made). "I'm giving you the chance to walk away _before_ I start strangling you. So take the opportunity while you still can and _leave us the hell alone_."

If looks could kill, Amy would likely have murdered him on the spot. And the threat actually seemed to work, as his smug grin vanished into a flustered frown. Plus, with every other person on the helicopter staring right at him, it didn't exactly look like a good situation to be in.

And he knew it, too. With a chuckle that was _definitely_ nervous now and a glance at the empty seats in the back, Topher pulled on the collar of his shirt. "I… see your point! You certainly _have_ changed! I will, uh… leave you to do your thing!"

He hastily moved to the back to sit and proceeded to ignore them. Amy stared coldly at him for a few moments longer, probably to try and make him sweat, before huffing out a sigh and flopping back down into her seat. She didn't say a word as everyone else in their group looked at each other, unsure of how to react. Perhaps smartly, they all kept quiet about it and went back to their own discussions.

Sammy, however, didn't want to leave it be. "Do you, ah, wanna talk about it?" she tried asking her sister.

Amy, leaning on her knees and hanging her head towards the floor, sighed deeply and shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe. Not here though."

"When we get home then," Sammy replied. She received no response, so she instead settled for giving Amy's shoulder a comforting rub.

A few minutes later, and Chef hopped into the pilot's seat. Sammy couldn't see exactly what he was doing since the cockpit and cabin were separated, but soon his voice came over the intercoms. "Listen up, y'all," he said. "I'm gonna need you to put on your seatbelts. We'll be in the air for no more than 10 minutes getting back to the island, so until then no roughhousing, hands and feet to yourself at all times, and for the love of God, don't be dirtying up my ride!"

With that, the engine started, the propellers began rotating, and a few minutes later Sammy could feel the aircraft taking off. It was pitch black outside, so it made telling where they were difficult. Not that she'd be able to tell regardless, given that she wasn't at a window seat.

"What do you guys think the final challenge will be?" Sky asked their group. Sammy had expected her to be at least a little bitter over her loss, but Sky had said she had gotten over it before leaving yesterday.

"It's gotta be epic," Beardo said, his tired eyes wide as he thought it over. "It's gotta be on par with everything else so far. Maybe another brawl between the Finalists?"

"Ha!" Shawn laughed. "If _that's_ what it is, then Jasmine's got this thing in the bag! Uh," he glanced at Sammy, "no offence."

Sammy shrugged. "I mean, you're not wrong. Objectively speaking, Jasmine could beat any of us. Well, almost any of us. She might have a tough time with Rodney."

"Which is why I'm hoping it's _not_ a fight between them," Sky said. "One, it would be too unfair for Ella. And two, it wouldn't make for good TV."

"Couldn't you say that about season four's finale?" Shawn asked.

"What's Ella gonna do? Dance around-" Sky paused. "…Actually that could work. Tire out Jasmine by dodging everything, and take her out that way."

"Now _that_ doesn't sound like good TV to me," Dave said. "Too much evading and not enough action, the audience would get bored of it soon enough."

Sky quirked her brow at him. "Alright, what do _you_ think they should do?"

He looked happy that his opinion was being asked for. " _I_ think they should do something different from previous years. Maybe a race that includes problem-solving sections? Where you have to get from one room to the next by solving different puzzles, dodging all sorts of traps along the way. Sort of like-"

"A Zelda dungeon," said Dave, Beardo, and Shawn all at once.

Dave grinned at them. "Glad to see we're all on the same page."

"Uhh," Sky started, sharing a look with Sammy. "I don't get it. Who's Zelda?"

"I think it's a game," she told her. "A video game."

"Oh! Yeah, I don't really play those."

"Me neither, but they're fun with other people! I think Amy really enjoyed playing… them… yesterday?"

It was only then that Sammy noticed Amy hadn't moved from her spot, eyes fixated on one unimportant spot on the floor and not moving whatsoever. In fact, she probably hadn't been listening to the conversation at all. Sammy knew they promised to talk about it later, but obviously the encounter with Topher had affected her more than she was trying to let on. _And she'd been avoiding him since she got back, hadn't she? There might be a lot more to unpack here than I thought._

Wanting to distract her sister from any bad thoughts, Sammy nudged her lightly with her shoulder. Amy blinked and looked up at her in surprise. "We're talking about the challenge," she said to her. "What do you think it'll be?"

"Oh. Uh." Amy looked around at the others - or rather, just at Sky, as the guys began having their own separate discussion. "If what you guys had told us is true, it's probably just gonna be another race of some kind."

"That seems like the trend, doesn't it?" Sky asked.

"I hope it isn't," Sammy said. "Poor Ella's had enough running these last few days to last her a lifetime."

"I… may have contributed to that," Sky said with remorse. "Which I think is justified because I _was_ trying to win, but…"

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Sammy told her. "I just wish these challenges were more… equal? Not favoured to one person's skill set over another."

"That just means she'll have to get creative with winning," Dave said to her, having had one ear on their conversation the whole time. "Use her strengths to her advantage, and all that. She has to be resourceful, if she made it this far. Which is a weird thing to say, because I remember her wanting to go for a bucket of glitter instead of building materials on the first day."

"Oh, yeah, uh, she's gotten a _lot_ better since then," Sammy defended. "You probably wouldn't even recognize her, if she wasn't still wearing the same clothes as before."

Dave nodded. "Seeing how you turned out, I can see that happening."

"Yep! Though it wasn't just me. Amy also…" She turned to her sister, to bring her into the conversation, only to find that she was actively talking with Beardo and Shawn. They were telling her about the Zelda games, how each one was apparently separate from the others, and so on. Amy wasn't exactly _captivated_ by the explanation, but she certainly seemed interested enough. _Have we found a new hobby for Amy? It'd be good for her to put all of her energy into something other than bullying me, I guess._

The rest of the helicopter ride went on in peace, and soon Chef announced their arrival and subsequent landing. When the aircraft touched down, they were told to remain in their seats, as the helipad they were on would descend into the island. Most of the others, specifically the ones who weren't around to discover the island's secret, were excited to see its insides. Sammy, Amy and Sky were a little less than thrilled.

It took a few minutes more to have everything secured into place, but soon they descended. There really wasn't much to look at through the window, just metal walls, so Sammy simply waited. After the literal sinking feeling went away, Chef exited the helicopter once more and bid everyone else do the same. "Don't _touch_ nothin'," he said to them as they all disembarked. "Don't _look at_ nothin'. Don't _plan_ nothin'."

He specifically said this last bit to Max, who had a wide grin forming on his face that vanished upon being singled out. "Uh, yes sir!" he replied in a very normal, if worried, tone.

Chef rolled his eyes, then led everyone down a series of hallways. Sammy tried to see anything she recognized, but with an entire underground system built into the island, it was very likely there were multiple rooms and even floors she hadn't been to yet. _Might be best if it stays that way, honestly._

There were a mix of regular interns working in these rooms, plus actual mechanics keeping everything in working condition. They kept at their jobs and paid the group no mind as they strolled by.

"This place still gives me the creeps," Sky muttered to her, rubbing her arms in worry. "I'm expecting another army of robots to burst out of the walls at any moment."

"This place has 'zombie apocalypse testing chambers' written all over it," Shawn noted, his head swiveling in every direction as he took everything in. "That said, it could also make for the _perfect_ bunker. Do you think Chris is willing to sell it?"

"To you?" Amy asked him. "Not likely."

"Harsh," Shawn said. "But fair."

A few rooms later, and the group of 11 plus Chef entered into what looked to be a sort of waiting room. It was a decently large room, large enough that all of them could comfortably stay in there without getting in each other's way. That said, there were only a handful of objects present: directly in front of them as they entered were three uncomfortable-looking couches, two facing each other and one facing the empty space of their square-like arrangement. They were set up around a low coffee table that housed a few magazines and little else. At the far end of the room was what looked like a jury's row of seats, or if she was being more specific, the winning team's peanut gallery booth from season five. Sammy wasn't able to figure out _why_ it was just sitting there, though, and chose to leave it be.

"Sooo what happens now?" Sugar asked Chef. Unlike most of the others, she hadn't really cared about the trip through the bunker. "When do we get breakfast? I'm starvin'!"

"You get food when the challenge is over," Chef told them, to the groans of complaint from all of them. "Host's orders! I don't make the rules. Now y'all are gonna sit down and wait for the Finalists to wake up, and I don't wanna hear any bellyachin'! Got it?"

People bellyached anyway, much to Chef's annoyance, but everyone did end up sitting down after a few minutes of standing. The couches were just as uncomfortable as they looked, but it was better than sitting on the cold, metallic ground.

"So we're just expected to sit and wait for them to wake up?" Topher asked, to which Chef grunted with a nod. "What the hell, man? Why come so early in that case? We could have slept in for another while and still made it here on time!"

Loathed as she was to do so, Sammy agreed with him. She could have spent extra time in bed and actually received a decent amount of sleep if they had waited.

Chef sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I said it before, I'll say it again: _host's orders._ "

And then everyone understood. " _Chris_ ," they all moaned at once. Leave it to him to make _everyone_ miserable, even the losers. He was probably still fast asleep in… wherever he stayed.

"You know, as much as I respect the guy, he makes it _very_ hard to like him," Topher continued.

"Does the fact that he stopped you from stealing his job have anything to do with it?" Sammy asked him.

"It might," he said neutrally, choosing not to look at her. Sammy's eyes bore into him, but she chose to leave it there.

Chef gave them a few additional rules - don't mess with anything in the room, don't _leave_ the room (because you need a password and keycard to get in and none of them had either). Fights were, apparently, allowed and welcome; they were just not allowed to damage the walls or scuff the floor. "Do you know how hard it is to clean this material?" Chef said, lightly tapping the metallic floor beneath him. "It's a janitor's nightmare. So do them a favor and _be cool._ "

" _That_ , I can respect," Beardo said, giving Chef Hatchet a thumbs up. Chef simply nodded back to him, and exited the waiting room.

This meant that they were now alone and likely unsupervised. "Uh," started Sky, looking around at them all. "Now what?"

No one was sure what to do. After sitting around awkwardly for several minutes, Leonard spoke up:

"How about a game?"

"Oh! Oh oh yes, I'll play!" Sugar immediately agreed, no questions asked.

"What kind of game?" Sky asked. She may not have been as interested as Sugar, but she seemed to at least want to do _something_.

"It's not gonna be one of those table games you guys play, is it?" Amy asked, motioning to Shawn and Beardo. "D&D I think? 'Cuz I don't know how to play those."

"Nah, those would be too time consuming," Leonard told her. "I was thinking something easier. Something like Never Have I Ever."

Amy's eyes widened. "Oh. Well. I'm in."

Sammy gave her sister a surprised look. "Just like that?"

"Just like that."

She had to admit, this gave her a good chance to learn more about the others, especially those she didn't know personally. "I'm game too," she said.

Soon everyone agreed to it, though some needed more convincing than others, namely Shawn and Max. It didn't take too long to win them over, however, and soon everyone was enjoying a nice, friendly ice breaker game.

It started off tame at first. 'Never have I ever seen such and such movie' (Rodney doesn't have the time to drive all the way into town to go to the theatre), 'Been to this or that place before' (Beardo freely admitted that he doesn't get out much), and so on. Then Topher decided to try and spice things up a bit by asking if anyone had ever drank alcohol before. Sammy was shocked when Beardo, Shawn _and_ Sky each put one of their fingers down, and even more dumbfounded when Amy _didn't._

" _Really?_ " Sammy asked her.

"Yup," she replied plainly.

"But… All those parties you went to…"

"None of them had any actual alcohol, no one wants to be responsible for giving drinks to teens. Besides, I've never been interested in trying it before."

"Oh wow. That I wasn't expecting."

She hesitated for a moment, scrunched her eyes and said, "Also I was scared." Sammy greatly appreciated her honesty, and showed it by patting her on the back.

The game continued, with now a mix of tame and not-exactly-tame questions being asked. Max apparently had never been to a sleepover before (Amy quietly called BS on his excuse that he found it childish), and Sky was actually one of the few people to have pulled a complete all-nighter, from sunset to sunrise (it had been for an exam that she barely had time to prepare for, and she ended up falling asleep in the middle of it regardless). Topher and Sugar were the only ones ever to be on TV before now, and both were incredibly proud of it (Topher with his on-camera poise classes, Sugar on a variety of live pageants and commercials). Shawn was the only person to have never left his hometown prior to now (which was entirely his own decision), and the twins were the only ones with relatives outside of North America (they apparently had some great uncle on their dad's side they never met before living somewhere in England).

To the absolute and utter shock of _everyone_ , Leonard and Dave were the only people to have ever tried marijuana.

"Tell me you're joking," Topher said, jaw dropped. "Please for the love of _G_ _od_ tell me you're not the only ones."

"I don't take it for fun," Dave said, confused on why he was making such a fuss. "It's for medicinal purposes."

"That just makes it _worse!_ "

"My friend Tammy's older brother knows a guy," Leonard said with a casual shrug. "But that's not gonna be a thing anymore, once it becomes legal."

"It's gonna be _legal?_ " Sugar nearly hollered. "When?"

"I think… October?"

"Well, hot dog! Next time you and me meet up after then, I know what _we're_ doin'!"

"And now I know what I'm _not_ ," Amy mumbled, eliciting a snort of laughter from her sister.

The game slowly devolved into a series of conversations from there, and soon enough it was forgotten about entirely as everyone talked about one thing or another. Despite tensions between some of the group members, it actually wasn't too bad of a time. Sammy couldn't remember the last time she had been in a crowd this big and still actually have her voice heard. It was mind-boggling how many people were willing to listen to her now, and she promised she wouldn't take it for granted.

A few people started to nod off after a while, Sammy herself included. She found herself leaning on Sky on her right, who graciously accepted her new fate as a pillow. It took a little longer than normal to completely pass out due to how much talking was going on, but she eventually found her way to sleep.

And as soon as she did, the air horns rang out.

"Jasmine and Ella!" Chris's voice called out, not just through the rest of the island but inside the bunker as well. "Meeting area: _now!_ "

Short and to the point, a blessing for anyone who didn't want to hear his voice (which was pretty much everyone). Sammy shook her head of the cobwebs, rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and willed her pounding heart to slow down, just in time to see the door open and let Chef Hatchet in once more.

"Show time, kids," he announced, getting their attention.

"What are we supposed to do?" Rodney asked for the group. "We're not gonna have to get in giant bubbles, are we?" He seemed remarkably more coordinated when he wasn't talking to either her or Amy, which only proved Sammy's theory further.

Chef pointed towards the peanut gallery booth in the back of the room. "Chris wants you all in that thing. That's all I've been told."

The group of 11 gave each other wary looks - Chris wanting anything of them was never a good sign, but they did as they were compelled and piled into the seats. It was difficult to get everyone fitted in there comfortably, which was obviously the point. Several of the smaller and thinner ones were squished in the front, while the larger and taller ones were in the back. The front row, from left to right, included Sammy, Amy, Sky, Dave, Shawn, and Max, while the back row had Topher, Sugar, Leonard, Beardo, and Rodney.

"Kinda cramped in here…" Shawn muttered, glaring down at Max who was giving him the same look.

"I know it is," Chef told him. "You're just gonna have to suck it up. For now, at least."

Amy gave him a look. "And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

He seemed to catch his slipup, and waved her off. "Never you mind. The show's about to start." He took out a remote, not dissimilar to the one Chris always used, and pressed the button on it. The wall to their left slid open and a large TV screen was brought out. It turned on, showing a camera panning across a vacant forest trail.

Though it was vacant no longer when the camera landed on someone walking.

Sammy involuntarily gasped at seeing her, and broke out into a grin. "There she is!" she said, shaking Amy's shoulder and pointing at Ella on the screen. "There she is!"

"I know, I _know!_ I see her!" Amy snapped back, shoving Sammy off of her. Sammy didn't mind though. She was far too ecstatic to see her kinda-sorta-not-really girlfriend again.

What struck Sammy was that Ella wasn't as nervous as she had looked when she last saw her. She no longer had a look of worry on her face, and her stride was so much more confident than she remembered. She wasn't smiling, but neither was she frowning. She had the look of someone who had been woken up a bit too early, but also someone who knew what they were doing and planned on doing it. It was such a far cry from how she had been before, that Sammy almost couldn't believe it.

Perhaps the fact that Sammy's cut-off sleeve was nowhere to be found was the reason why.

"She's not wearing it," Sammy said in shock. "She's… actually not wearing the sleeve." She turned to Sky curiously. "What happened to it?"

"I, ah, may not have mentioned that part," Sky said to her sheepishly. "I wanted you to see that for yourself."

"She's not wearing it _willingly?_ "

"Not just that," Sky said. "She actually tore it up."

" _What?_ "

"What are you guys even talking about?" Dave interrupted. "What sleeve?"

"Oh, right," Sammy said, realizing she had omitted this part regarding Ella in her story to him. "Uhh, it's kind of a long and… personal story…"

"Yeah, sorry Dave, no time to explain," Amy said to him, and pointed back up to the screen. "Check it."

Ella was now jogging through the woods, and a change in cameras showed that she was attempting to catch up to her competition. "Jasmine!" she shouted out to her. Jasmine slowed to a stop and waited for the songbird to catch up. Sammy thought she heard Shawn sigh happily, quiet enough for her to just barely pick up on it. "Good morning," Ella said pleasantly, subtly trying to catch her breath.

"Good morning to you," Jasmine replied happily. "Final day, final challenge… And you look like you're ready to rumble!"

Ella laughed behind a hand lightly. "I'd like to say I am! Perhaps not to fight, but I'm certainly ready to take on whatever Chris is going to throw at us."

"'Atta girl!" Jasmine lightly tapped Ella on the shoulder. "You oughta be proud of yourself for stepping up to the plate like that."

"You know what?" Ella asked as the two of them resumed their walking. "I _am_ proud of myself. More so than any other time in my life, I'd like to believe."

"That's great to hear! If I didn't know any better, I'd say I'd have my work cut out for me today!"

"Thanks!" She paused. "I think."

"Say, I don't think I asked yet, but what would you do with the money if you won it?" Jasmine asked her.

Ella brightened at the question. "Oh, well, see, I was hoping to reinvent myself…"

Sammy listened to Ella recount her goal with the money, though the idea to go to school to learn how to sing, play guitar and/or dance was a new addition. It was incredibly nice to hear her declare her dreams with such confidence, such certainty. She must have gone through a lot yesterday, when Sammy wasn't around.

"Hey, so," Dave suddenly interrupted her speech, but obviously Ella didn't hear him. "Is it just me or does Ella's voice sound deeper than before?"

Several eyes - specifically those who had been part of the later half of the season - looked to him in surprise. " _Does_ it?" Sammy asked.

Everyone hushed up to listen. To Sammy, Ella sounded the exact same as ever. But she supposed she _had_ been with Ella every step of the way, whereas Dave had pretty much jumped from beginning to end.

"What do you think?" Sky asked, turning around to look at Leonard.

He rubbed his chin in thought, listening as the Finalists conversed. After a minute, he said, "Actually, yes, I _do_ hear a difference! It's deeper and, dare I say, more natural sounding compared to what she presented to us before."

" _Really?_ " Sammy turned to Amy, who only shrugged. "Wow. I _never_ picked up on that." _What kind of kinda-sorta-not-really girlfriend am I?!_

No one really had an answer for this development, though Amy did whisper in her ear, "Probably has something to do with no longer doing that princess thing."

"Ooh," Sammy whispered back. She likely had slowly started lowering her voice's tone over the course of the game. It was no wonder Sammy didn't catch on. "Good point."

"What about you?" Ella was asking Jasmine. "I don't think I've heard _your_ plans for the money."

Jasmine grinned at that. "I wanted to open my own business! It would be one part flower shop…"

"Oh that sounds lovely!" Ella interjected before Jasmine could finish.

"Just wait for the second part!" Jasmine seemed absolutely giddy at the idea. "One part flower shop… one part underground cage fighting school!"

Ella literally stopped walking at that to process it. The look on her face said everything - she clearly thought the idea was _terrible._

At the same time, everyone in the bunker dropped their jaws to the floor, before turning a questioning eye to Shawn.

He looked at them all with discomfort in his eyes. "Uhh… Yeah. I'm not gonna say anything."

Jasmine was still talking. "I'd call it, 'Roses Are Red, Bruises Are Blue'! Pretty cool, ri-" It was only then Jasmine realized Ella wasn't following. "You good mate?"

Ella shook her head violently and ran to catch up. "Um, yes! I was just… astounded at how… uh… _unique_ that idea is!"

"Isn't it though?!" Jasmine asked, either unaware of or ignoring Ella's hesitancy. "It's been my dream to open it up all my life, and maybe I'll finally get that chance!"

"Well, obviously I plan to do my best to win," Ella said sweetly, "but should you win, I sincerely hope your dream comes to fruition!"

"Thanks! Same to you!"

"This is all so… _cheery_ and _lighthearted_ ," grumbled Topher from behind Sammy.

"I concur," Max agreed. "It's too goody-goody for my tastes. Not enough _violence!_ Where is the animosity? Where is the _chaos?!_ "

"Where's the _trash talking?_ " Topher added. "This is too 'nice'! It's supposed to be a competition, for Pete's sake!"

"Ella isn't exactly a trash talker," Sammy told him.

He tutted and shook his head. "Total Drama just hasn't been the same since last season…"

"I'm hopin' the challenge is a good one," Sugar said. "One where Jasmine has a chance of _crushin'_ Ella into the dirt!"

Sammy whirled around to her. " _Whoa_ whoa whoa whoa! What's all that about?"

"Oh, you probably don't know," Sugar said, completely oblivious to Sammy's death glare. "Ella likes to pretend she's nice to everyone, but I know her type. She's just waitin' to stab you in the back and take the money for herself! Trust me, you see allllll those kinds'a people in the pageantry business. You can't walk anywhere without trippin' over them!"

Sammy stared at her, unable to form any sort of response. Thankfully, Amy was there to speak for her. "Ohh, right, you have some sort of beef with her, don't you?" she asked. "You wouldn't stop talking about her at all when you were on the island. Either her or yourself."

"And the pot calls the kettle black," Topher muttered, though no one paid attention to him.

Sugar actually seemed incredibly ticked off; she snarled at the screen and banged her fists on the back of the first row seats. "Yeah, and for good reason too! I _knew_ she was trouble from the start, all the way from the beginning! She wouldn't be here in the finale if she wasn't a two-faced little snot queen!"

Sammy's temper was boiling over - it was one thing to say mean things about her, but to start insulting her _friends_? That was another thing entirely. It was to the point where she was actually beginning to think that, unless Sugar changed her views on Ella, trying to make friends with her was a lost cause.

She knew she wasn't good at hiding her emotions, so it was no surprise when Amy placed a notably gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hey, easy there," she said quietly. "Now's not the time for this. You can rip her a new one after, yeah?"

Amy was right, of course, and Sammy tried her best to breathe deep and calm herself. "Yeah, okay, you're right."

Back on the screen, the girls had continued their walk, and were just arriving in the designated meeting area. Chris stood before them, and shockingly it looked like there was nothing around him - no obstacle courses, no giant finale-like contraptions. Just the open field and blue skies behind them.

"Today's the day!" announced the host once everything was in place. "Today, one of you walks home a loser, like the 12 that came before you. And also today, I start my vacation."

"And… you're also giving one of us the million dollars, right?" Jasmine asked him eagerly.

Chris rolled his eyes. "Yes, Jasmine, one of you is getting the million dollars. As if that wasn't obvious."

"So what shall we be doing today?" Ella asked him. Sammy continued to marvel at how well she was maintaining that confident smile. It wasn't something that she'd be able to get over easy. "Will the challenge be more physical based, like the last few times?"

"You've watched the show," Chris said. "You tell me."

She sighed, but didn't let that get her down. "I should have figured."

"Actually, I should tell you something about the challenge," Chris said. He grinned nastily at them, and both girls listened intently. "This final challenge for Pahkitew Island is _so_ deadly, the lawyers called us and insisted you have a Partner for it."

Ella gasped. "A _Partner?!_ "

He shrugged casually. "Eh. It's not a bad idea. Maybe they can help us find your bodies when the challenge is done."

Chris was normally a sadistic person, but that was _dark_ , even by his standards. The girls rightfully gave each other frightened looks.

"Well…" Jasmine said slowly. "How are the Partners decided?"

"Lemme ask something first. If you could have any one of the previously eliminated contestants as your Partner for the finale… who would you both choose?"

"Choose?" Ella repeated, and both girls immediately started thinking about it.

For personal reasons, Sammy hoped that Ella chose her. But she also knew that Ella knew how Total Drama should be played, so if she chose someone she thought would be the better pick, then she would completely understand.

After a moment Ella raised her hand. "I'd like to ask for the assistance of Rodney, please."

"And I'll choose Shawn," Jasmine followed up.

"Wait, she wants _me?_ " Rodney asked in confusion, at the same time Shawn silently pumped a fist. "But I've never even talked to her before!"

"I think she just wants you for your muscles, man," Beardo said, poking Rodney in the arm.

"Oh," he said. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"You don't seem too bothered by her decision," Sky said to Sammy.

She nodded in confirmation. "Yep. I mean, I'd be surprised if she _didn't_ want someone on her side who was able to go toe-to-toe with Jasmine."

But then all conversation ceased when Chris started laughing. " _'Choose'?_ " Chris asked. "Who said anything about choosing your helpers?"

Jasmine gaped at him. "What? But you _asked-_ "

"I asked _if_ you could choose a Partner. I didn't say you'd _actually_ be choosing." He snickered behind a hand. "I just did that to be mean."

Everyone present groaned. _Should've seen_ that _coming a mile away._

"Your Partners will be chosen thusly." Chris turned around and Chef Hatchet, who Sammy realized had vanished in the time between sitting in the booth and now, wheeled up a flat-screen TV. Chris now produced _two_ remotes, and tossed them to each contestant. They both caught them with ease. "One person will go at a time, and hit the button. Their roulette of potential Partners will begin to spin," as was demonstrated by the roulette on-screen starting, "at which point you'll press the button once more. Whoever the roulette stops on," This was accompanied by the slot stopping on a sadistic and menacing-looking Scarlett, "is who you're paired up with."

Everyone who had been a part of the self destruct challenge cringed at the sight on the screen. "Wow, y'all weren't kidding about her," Beardo commented in surprise. "I'm gettin' chills just lookin' at her."

"Eh, I've seen scarier," Topher grunted with a shrug. "What's truly scary is her _hair_. Does she cut it herself? Like, with a blindfold on?"

"At least she's going for a style," Amy said, and turned to look Topher straight in the eye. "Unlike someone I know."

He reddened furiously and covered his half-styled hair with his hands. "I didn't have time to finish it!"

They were shushed by the others, just in time to watch Chris toss a coin. It was directly aimed for Ella's eye, but she had enough time to swipe it out of the air. "That was rude," she said with a frown.

Chris frowned as well. "Oh right. Forgot that part." He didn't let it bother him, and grinned once more. "I guess Ella gets to go first!"

She gave Chris a glare as she tossed the coin away, and gave her remote a press.

That was when two things happened: as Chris had stated, the roulette on the screen started. Additionally, a small monitor rose up out of the floor, right in front of Sammy and the others.

" _Please ensure safety belts are secure_ ," came a robotic voice with accompanying text. The next thing Sammy knew, a safety harness had somehow wrapped itself around her chest and waist, effectively locking her into her seat. _Oookay this doesn't look good._

"Uhh," Dave stammered, attempting to pull on his. "I'm not getting a good feeling about this."

"This thing's on too tight," Rodney said, likewise trying to loosen his. "Is that just me? It's kinda hard to breathe…"

"And Ella has landed on Samey!"

Sammy's attention was swiftly drawn from her harness back to the big screen, where an extremely unflattering picture of her totally passed out asleep (with just a hint of drool flowing from her mouth) had appeared on the roulette.

" _Oh!_ " Ella cried out in surprise. "What are the chances, I wonder?"

"One out of 12, apparently," Jasmine snickered.

"Apparently indeed." Ella took a moment to consider her result, but only a moment. "I'll take her! I'll have Sammy be my Partner!"

" _Yes!_ " Sammy cheered, attempting to jump up but failing it due to the seat belt. "I was hoping for this and it actually happened!"

"That's pretty lucky," Amy said, and she looked happy enough for her.

"I know!" Sammy agreed. She was thanking her lucky stars for this outcome - now she got to spend more time with Ella, which was always a great thing. But then she realized what she had been chosen _for_. "Wait… I'm gonna get hurt again, aren't I?"

Amy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, but the look on her face was mischievous. "Oh, Sam… We hardly knew ye."

Sammy shook her hand off. "I'm not dead! …Yet."

Jasmine was up next, her expression neutral as she pressed the button. Like last time, the roulette began. Also like last time, the smaller screen in front of them spoke once more. " _Please keep hands and feet within the ride at all times_."

"' _Ride_ '?" Shawn repeated. "What does _that_ mean?"

"Uh oh," Sky muttered, and looked to the room's ceiling.

"What's the matter, fair maiden?" Leonard asked her. He didn't seem to notice the look Dave was giving him.

"The seat belts, the word 'ride'..." Sky looked at them in fright. "I think we're _in_ for a ride any second now."

Several of them gasped in shock, while some struggled to remove the harnesses. It was _just_ like Chris to torment them further, even outside of the game. The sooner this finale ended, the better off all of them would be.

But all thoughts of imminent pain were silenced when Jasmine's roulette stopped and landed on Shawn. Specifically a picture of a terrified, screaming-out-of-his-mind-at-zombies-again-probably Shawn, but still Shawn.

" _Alright!_ " Jasmine cried out. "I'll take him!"

"Woo-hoo!" Shawn cheered. "Victory, here we come!"

 _So I'm still fighting my friends, huh?_ Sammy sighed but gave Shawn a challenging grin. "We're not gonna make it easy on you!"

"Right back at ya, sister!"

Speaking of sister, Amy's eyes were hard and glued to the screen; the words Chris was saying were likely going in one ear and out the other. "Amy?" Sammy asked when she noticed the look on her face.

The older twin looked at the younger. "Oh, uh," she stammered, then frowned. "Don't you think that's too… convenient?"

Sammy blinked, looking back to the screen. "You think?"

"Well, _yeah_. Ella gets her girlfriend-"

"We're still not dating yet."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. _Almost_ girlfriend. Meanwhile Jasmine gets _her_ boyfriend. And it's like… what are the chances of _both_ of them landing on that? It feels like… like this was planned. Like, maybe the roulette was rig-"

That was when the sirens began. Harsh warning lights shined bright on the walls, and the cast had to cover their ears at the noise. " _Now beginning launch sequence_ ," came the computerized voice. " _Please enjoy your flight_."

"Launch sequence?!" Beardo screamed, mimicking everyone's thoughts. "Okay, I want off this ride now!"

" _Launch commencing in T-minus 60 seconds._ "

"Welp," said Dave, eyes glazed over as he leaned back in his seat. "It was nice knowing some of you. Others, not so much."

"You cannot do this to me!" Max shouted at the screen, one fist raised menacingly. "Release me from this prison, you blasted AI, or else I will turn you into scrap metal!"

The screen lit up in a green thumbs up symbol. " _Threat acknowledged. Launch now commencing in T-minus five seconds_."

Everyone had just enough time to gape at the screen, and then glare angrily at a very sheepish Max.

The booth they were all in began convulsing violently, like they were being shaken in a soda can and ready to burst at any moment. Sammy could feel her stomach start to churn, and for once was grateful they hadn't eaten breakfast.

At the top of her vision, she saw a large hole open up in the ceiling. _Just as Sky predicted,_ she managed to think amongst all of the hysteria.

She felt a hand grasp hers. Sammy didn't have to look to know Amy was scared, and gave it a hopefully comforting squeeze.

Then the booth shot up through the hole at blinding speeds.

The force nearly pushed her down into her seat, but Sammy held strong and stayed upright. It was too dark to see anything, and everyone, including herself, were screeching pure terror at the top of their lungs.

But shockingly, it didn't last long. The dark interior of the in-between layers of the bunker gave way to the bright, shining landscape of Pahkitew Island. Up, and up, and _up_ their booth went, the vast expanse of the ocean flowing out in every direction.

Sammy felt themselves peak, and she took a moment to look around her. Despite the panic and the fear, it was positively _breathtaking_ to look at. Ocean extended every which way, with some islands visible in the distance. The sun was just beginning to rise, coating the sky in a bright pink along with its normal blue. She couldn't tear her eyes away, and the scenery dug its way inside her mind and caused her to forget about the current situation. Sammy _was_ a city girl at heart, but she could absolutely not deny the beauty and majesty that the natural world had to offer.

The others definitely felt the same; their screams vanished and were replaced by gasps of awe and amazement. They had all been in the air before, but at this precise moment, stuck in the sky as they were, they had the whole horizon at their fingertips. Even the more antagonistic of them were lost in the wonder; they were all experiencing the same thing, and as such they were all thinking as one.

_You know… The world can be such a beautiful place sometimes._

It was an incredible, once in a lifetime experience that no one wanted to have end.

And then they started falling.

" _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!**_ " came the collective screams of 11 terrified teens. _Yeah_ , Sammy's mind then thought between the images of her grisly death, _I_ really _should've seen this coming._

She didn't know how far up they had travelled, but the descent down was faster than she would have liked. Maybe it was because of everyone's weight added to the booth, but those thoughts were far and away from what she should be paying attention to right now.

Then, after several seconds of blind panic, the booth _stopped_ falling.

It wasn't an immediate stop, but it came without warning, and Sammy felt her insides try to keep going without her. Most of the others likely felt the same, as there were groans and moans galore between them all. Max let out a weak " _Reveeeenge…_ ", but everyone was too shaken up to say anything worthwhile.

Opening her eyes through the nausea, Sammy noted that they had stopped just below the treeline of the forest, and that if she looked down she could see the ground roughly five or ten feet below. Ella and Jasmine were looking at them in shock, while Chris was saying something to them, though she wasn't able to make out what exactly that was.

Then she saw the remote in his hand and the button he pushed, and the booth continued falling that extra ten feet. There was no stopping them this time, and the booth landed painfully onto the ground with a crash.

With a bump and a cry in pain, Sammy found herself jostled and thrown from one side to the other. Amy hadn't let go of her hand, even after a few moments passed, but she wasn't going to complain. They were two of the lucky few who _didn't_ bash their chins on the railing and/or seat in front of them, and she could hear the _cracks_ of the ones who did clearly in her head. Those who cried out in pain were likewise calling out Chris for his treatment, though it was very unlikely he was caring.

"Welcome back to Pahkitew Island!" came his voice over the cacophony of grumbles. He called out everyone by order of elimination, starting with Leonard and ending on Sky. "Let me guess," he followed up with, giddy malice in his voice, "one of you threatened our computer system."

10 different hands pointed at Max, who simply squeaked in response.

" _HA!_ " Chris barked. "I was _hoping_ someone would do that!" He wiped a tear from his eye as he laughed, earning him a number of glares from everyone, before he composed himself and cleared his throat. "Ah well. Maybe you should go see if your Partners are okay," he said to the Finalists. "Something tells me things are gonna get worse from here on out."

The pain subsided enough for her to remember what was going on. Shaking off the dizziness, Sammy looked upwards to see the Finalists rushing over in their direction, Jasmine towards Shawn and Ella, of course, towards herself.

"Hi th-" Before Sammy could even get two words out, Ella planted her lips on hers. It was… forceful. Not desperate, but happy and relieved and just a bit nervous all at once. All of the kisses they shared before (and as such, every kiss Sammy ever had) were soft and light and unsure, mostly because of her and her general inexperience with romance and relationships. But now Ella was taking the lead, and though Sammy was surprised… she couldn't say she didn't enjoy it.

It wasn't a long kiss, and Ella pulled back soon after it began. The grin on her face was wide and toothy, though a moment later and she was biting back a giggle. "Your mouth tastes like toothpaste," she said in a laugh.

" _Pfft-_ " Sammy laughed, much harder than she thought she would have. " _That's_ the first thing you say to me? Not, 'How's it going?' or something like that?"

She tilted her head in thought, though the grin didn't leave her face. "Mmm… Nope!" That just made Sammy laugh even harder.

Chris cleared his throat once more, this time as an attention grabber. "If the Finalists and their Partners could come up to the screen, that'd be great, thanks."

Ella turned back to her, and Sammy was greeted with one of the most confident grins she had ever seen on the girl. "Let's go win a million dollars," she said without any hesitation.

It was infectious, and Sammy found herself feeling her heartbeat rising. Not out of fear, but out of anticipation. "You got it."

The harness keeping her locked in undid itself, and she noticed Shawn and Jasmine were already headed back over. Sammy was just about to hop over the railing when an arm grabbed a hold of her and held her back.

"Be careful," Amy whispered to the both of them. Her eyes were hard and she was glaring at Chris in the corner of them. "Something about this stinks."

Sammy nodded. "We will," she told her sister.

Meanwhile, Ella looked between them curiously. "We will?" she repeated.

She needed to be informed, but Sammy figured that drawing attention to it would only make things worse for them in the long run. "Look at who got paired up with who," Sammy whispered to her.

Ella stared at her, and then at Jasmine and Shawn. Her mouth made an 'O' shape not long after. "Uh oh."

"Yeah," Sammy said. "Uh oh."

"Any day now!" Chris shouted.

"Shoot," Ella huffed. "We'll just have to keep our eyes opened for anything… worrisome."

Sammy nodded, and the two moved on. A couple who got paired together on the roulette was one thing, but _both_ couples getting paired up? That was too hard to believe that it was just random chance. Amy was right, something about this was suspicious. Not only did they have to focus on winning, but they also had to keep their eyes peeled for anything that seemed off.

 _Something's gonna happen here. I just wish I knew_ what _._

"Reunions over?" Chris asked sharply when they all approached him. "Good! Because it's time for the final challenge of the season! I have _endearingly_ titled it… _The Double Duo of Deadly Dying Death!_ "

Sammy cringed at the name - not only because it meant that the challenge was going to be difficult, but also because it was a name that sounded like a ten year old came up with it in an attempt to be edgy. "You certainly managed to pack the theme of the finale in there," Jasmine remarked.

"I know," Chris smirked, and actually sounded proud of it. "I'm good. Moving on: since Scarlett decided to turn traitor and take control of the whole island, we've had the whole thing on lockdown mode and have been gradually restarting every part of it. _However_ , I can now say with confidence that the island is 100% back online, and we have only one challenge left to dish out as much pain as we can." He rubbed his hands together devilishly as the Finalists and Partners gulped. "I hope you guys have said your final words! 'Cuz there's a _very_ low chance of walking away from this in one piece!

"Jasmine and Ella! With the help of your Partners, you will race across the island. First one to cross the finish line will receive…" He took the briefcase from Chef's outstretched hand, and opened it to show the four of them the money in all its glory. " _One. Million. Dollars!_ "

The prize was so close to them, Sammy felt her heart start pounding at the sight of it. Ella grasped one of her shoulders and shook it, her own excitement palpable.

"While I'm disappointed that it's yet _another_ race," Ella whispered to her, "I have to admit, that money is _really_ tempting."

"We just have to get through one more," Sammy reminded. "And then we're home free."

"The end is just in reach!" Chris continued. "And all you have to do is…" The remote was pressed again, and the earth rumbled. The four of them, plus everyone back in the booth, shouted in fright. Ella held on tightly to Sammy's shoulder to not lose balance, though Sammy was afraid she was going to lose her own.

And then, from behind the treeline, a _gargantuan_ mountain burst forth from the ground, shooting into the sky and piercing the clouds. It was covered in snow, from top to bottom, and its summit looked almost like it was in a perpetual storm. "Survive a 2,000 foot plummet from an ice cliff!" Chris continued. "Its snowy terrain will make traversing it difficult, but if you'd rather drop from the top, then we'd be all for that!"

"More snow," Sammy mumbled, her heart rate continuing to speed up. She let out a groan. "Of _course_ there would be more snow."

The screen from earlier was flicked on, and showed the top of the mountain. Contrasting the bright blue above them, the area around the top was shrouded by thick storm clouds, snow and hail gusting from one direction to another. Atop the most level portion of the summit sat a large mound of junk, though exactly what was in it was obscured by the weather. "Use whatever crud you find in that pile to make yourselves a bobsled to ride down. The faster, the better, obviously."

"What's all that supposed to _be_ , anyway?" Shawn asked. "I can't make heads or tails of any of that!"

"That's the point, dude! You'll find out when you get there." The image changed then, and showed a decently large and wide trench in the ground filled to the top with mud. As opposed to the mountaintop, this one seemed rather mundane. "Next, you'll learn how to not suffocate as you're submerged in this giant, eight-feet deep mud pit!"

Sammy felt her fears spiking even further. Having to compete in a snowstorm was one thing, but being completely dunked into something without _air_ was perhaps just as bad, if not worse. "Oh!" she exclaimed despite herself. "Great! Can't wait to jump into _that!_ " Ella rubbed her back soothingly.

One last transition to what appeared to be a standard plain of sparse trees and mountains in the background. "And finally, you'll have to run two miles through a wide-open field where I'm absolutely sure _no_ harm will come to you!" Then without warning, Chris started cackling at some joke he must have made. No one had any idea what that joke must have been, as no one was laughing with him. Sammy's insides were filling with disgust at this demon of a man before them, and judging by their faces so were everyone else's. Even Chef was giving Chris a dirty look, slowly shaking his head as the laughter kept going for longer than it should have. It soon became apparent to Chris that no one else was laughing with him, and he stopped to give Chef an annoyed glance. "Any particular reason you're not sticking to the script?"

"The script is _ridiculous_ ," Chef spat back.

Chris was mildly surprised, but let it slide and cleared his throat to regain order. "The point I'm trying to get across is that you guys _might_ not make it out alive here." By this point the threats had worn off their effects, so the four of them glared at him. "Make of that what you will." He snapped a finger and an intern ran up to them holding four helmets, tossing each of the players one of them. "Legal told us you might want to wear these for the first leg of the challenge, just in case anything happens to the mushy bits in your head. Who knows, maybe you'll start to use them if you live through this!"

Sammy was about to retort when he then held up his remote once more. "And just so that we're able to get a live audience for this finale…"

The button was pressed once more, and the four of them turned around when they heard the cries of uncertainty from the peanut gallery. The booth was shaking violently again, and all of the non-contestants were looking around in terror. And then, without warning, the booth zipped down back into the ground. They all screamed loudly, but the second the ground closed behind them their voices vanished. Even though she understood why, Sammy found that to be _incredibly_ spooky.

"All of the other losers will join you guys on your journey!" Chris finished his sentence happily. "Whether they want to or not!"

"That thing doesn't exactly look like the safest contraption here," Jasmine commented, staring at where the booth had been.

"It's not! It's more like a deathtrap!" Shawn exclaimed. "You could seriously hurt them if you treat that thing like a roller coaster!"

"Once again, Shawn, that's the point!" Chris looked upwards and grinned widely, and that was when the sound of a helicopter could be heard getting louder and closer. A red one, smaller than the one they had flown in on to get here, hovered just above their heads. Four long ropes, knotted at several points along each one, were hanging from the helicopter's landing gear, and ended up swaying gently right in front of the four of them. "Grab a rope and hold on tight! Because your challenge begins…" The air horn rang out. " _NOW!_ "

The second all ropes had a player holding them, the helicopter lifted them off the ground and up, up, _up_ into the air. Sammy did everything in her power to both not let go, and not look down. She'd been in the air without the proper protection far too many times in the last few weeks than she was comfortable with. But, she had to remind herself, this was for the money, and more importantly, for Ella. She just had to hold it all back in until they were done.

Ella was visibly struggling to keep her grip, something that unfortunately made sense. "We're almost there!" Sammy shouted at her. "You got this!" She wasn't sure if Ella heard.

A minute or two of ascending passed, and they breached the clouds into what was clearly an artificially generated storm at the summit. Despite that fact, it felt every bit as real as an actual storm, which was something Sammy did _not_ appreciate in the slightest.

The pilot of the helicopter stopped right above where they were apparently supposed to get off. The aircraft made no movement to lower them to the ground however, and Sammy realized belatedly that they were likely supposed to jump off when she saw Jasmine and Shawn actually jumping off. Recognizing that they had already lost their lead, Sammy took one last glance at Ella, nodded at her when she returned the glance, and leapt off the rope towards the ground.

It wasn't a long fall, but it was enough to make her barely stick the landing. The snow wasn't very deep up on the top, probably coming halfway up her boots, and the flustering winds didn't help matters at all. Sammy's dread was still high, and she wanted to be anywhere but _here_ , but she had a job to do and she was going to see it through to the end.

A screech was heard from above, and Sammy looked up just in time to catch a falling Ella in her arms, bridal style. Her knees almost buckled under the weight, and the wind nearly toppled them over, but she stood fast and held her ground.

Ella grinned at her and planted a kiss on her cheek. "My hero."

Sammy grinned, then quickly set her down. They were lucky that they landed close to the junk pile, and they slowly made their way towards it. It was small, nowhere near as big as the piles from the very first day, but it didn't need to be very big anyway. "Bobsled, bobsled," Sammy muttered, trying to pick out parts with the little visibility she had. "We need something we can sit on, like…" She grabbed at the first thing she saw. "A sink? Okay, there are worse ideas. And now something to make it slide down the mountain easier, like…"

"Skis?" Ella asked.

"Oh, yeah, skis will work!"

"No, no!" Ella grabbed a hold of her head and pointed it off to the side. " _Skis!_ "

Through the biting winds and piercing snow, Sammy just managed to make out Jasmine and Shawn descending the hill on skis, the latter riding on the former's back.

" _Oh!_ Skis!" Sammy took a glance at the sink, threw it away and, after taking another second to look through the pile, found their own pair of skis sticking out at an angle. "No time to make a bobsled. Let's just copy them!" She threw them down onto the snow and clipped them on to her boots as fast as she could. The moment she finished she motioned to Ella, who hopped onto the skis and wrapped her arms around Sammy's ribs, holding tight. "Ready?" Sammy asked.

"Ready!" Ella replied.

She pushed her feet and they were off. The wind whipped at their faces and the snow nearly blinded them, but they glided through the storm with little to no issues. In fact, a few moments after kicking off, the storm gradually lessened. A little ways down the slope, and they cut through it entirely, and their ability to see was no longer hindered.

"There they are!" Ella cried, pointing over Sammy's shoulder and down at their opponents. They were a decent distance away from them, and likely due to Jasmine's weight were gaining ground. "We won't be able to catch-" That was when, in a moment where they were distracted, Jasmine and Shawn collided right into one of the giant piles of snow that dotted the mountainside. "-them. Or, maybe we will!"

"Lean forward!" Sammy instructed, and the two of them did just that, reducing their wind resistance and speeding themselves up. Sammy had ever only gone skiing once in her life, and it was down a hill nowhere _near_ as dangerous as this one. But in the heat of the moment and the reminder that a huge sum of money was on the line, she maneuvered them past the oversized moguls, and kept them from flying up and away and likely hurting themselves.

About partway down the mountain, they received company.

Sammy and Ella both shrieked at the peanut gallery's sudden appearance on their left, coming out of the mountain and keeping pace with them as they skied down. The group of nine looked haggard and ready to throw up any second. The ride to the top must not have been as smooth for them as it was for the players.

"Are you guys okay?!" Sammy shouted at them.

No one immediately answered, aside from their nauseous groans.

"I think we should take that as a yes," Ella said, and readjusted Sammy's head to focus on the challenge. She could see Jasmine and Shawn still struggling down below, and the different moguls the two had run into. Likely due to the fact that the snow was blinding them and slowing them down, Sammy and Ella were actually beginning to get closer to them.

"I don't want to get our hopes up _too_ early," Sammy said to her Partner, "but we might actually have a _shot_ at this!"

"Ahh… I really hope you didn't just jinx us," Ella said, a nervous laugh in her voice.

"Ooh. Yeah, I really hope I didn't, too."

"Get me off this ride," droned Amy from the peanut gallery. She was squished between the end of the booth and everyone else in her row, and she looked ready to blow a fuse. "I think I'm literally gonna hurl."

"Whatever you do, _don't_ do it in my direction," Sky replied to her.

"We don't need to be here," Beardo groaned, his hand holding his head through his hair. "Chris has already tortured us enough, hasn't he?"

"Apparently not," Rodney said, his face green and eyes spinning.

"You insipid hunk of junk," Max growled, and banged a fist on the side he was leaning over. "Slow down this instance!"

Another beep from the computer. " _Violence and insults detected. Changing contestant focus._ "

The group took a second to yell at Max before their ride sped up and zipped down the mountain, faster than they had previously been going, towards Jasmine and Shawn.

Ella hummed as she watched them leave. "I'm… incredibly thankful I never got on that ride."

It was by no means easy, but Sammy was able to pass by the moguls without any mishaps. Other than the stress of being on the snow and of the race itself, it was actually a fairly simple task. Sammy knew better than to count her chickens before they hatched, however, and focused on staying upright until the very end.

Jasmine and Shawn, covered from head to toe in snow, reached the ground first, though Ella and Sammy were not far behind. When they reached the area where the snow became grass, Sammy allowed the skis to slow down on their own. Unfortunately, she ended up tripping over a stray rock she wasn't able to avoid, and she fell face first into the ground. _Funny how face-planting into the dirt is becoming a common occurrence for me. Oh! Actually, wait, that's not funny_ at all!

Ella, meanwhile, had flown up and over Sammy and similarly landed in a heap ahead of her. She was faster to recover however, and immediately set to work on helping Sammy stand. "The skis have to come off first," she said, mostly to herself, and went about unclasping one from her boots. Sammy worked on the other one, and in no time was standing on her own two feet once more.

They looked to Shawn and Jasmine, who were both wiping the snow off of themselves and shivering due to it. Incidentally, the peanut gallery was there and in rough shape, their booth having stopped along with Jasmine, but they weren't the important part at the moment. The girls saw their chance, and dashed off away from the mountain towards the next leg of the race.

"I can't believe it," Sammy gasped. "We're actually in the lead!"

"We probably won't be for long," Ella said. "Jasmine can overtake us easily, and I doubt Shawn will be a slouch when it comes to running, either."

It was true. They booked it as hard as they could, but after five minutes a thoroughly thawed Jasmine and Shawn caught up to them. They looked as though nothing had even happened, aside from the melting snow dampening their clothes. "Sorry, mates," Jasmine shouted at them as the two of them overtook the girls. "But that money is _ours_!"

Sammy was just about to pump her legs further to try and keep up, but Ella held her back. "Don't overwork yourself," she said. "We can catch back up in the next part."

Sammy slowly nodded. "Right, okay."

The gap between them, as was expected, increased in size as the running went on, but thankfully the mud pit wasn't too far away. Chris was there, and was offering Jasmine what looked to be a garden hose with the ends cut off. "Perfect timing!" he shouted at the girls as they approached. "I was just going over part two!"

"And _we_ were just on our way!" Jasmine stuck one end of the hose in her mouth, scooped Shawn up onto her shoulders (causing him to make a high-pitched shriek) and leapt into the mud in one fell swoop.

"Eager, aren't they?" he casually asked the girls. "Anywho, since this mud pit's bigger than either of you, one of you will have to sit on the other's shoulders and navigate your way through. And before you ask," he said as Ella raised a hand, "you breathe through the hose."

He tossed it at Sammy, who caught it without issue. "Uh…" Her eyes were drawn to the mud, at how deep that pit was, and she actually thought her legs would lock up on her. "Yeah, I'm gonna be honest, I don't want to be in that," she hesitantly told Ella. "There's not much difference between being trapped under snow and submerged in mud. I wouldn't be able to go five feet if I was all the way in."

Ella breathed deeply and nodded. "I guess it's up to me then!" She bent down to one knee.

Sammy wasted no time in hopping on, but winced as Ella struggled to stand with the extra weight. "Y-You sure about this?"

It took some effort, but Ella managed it after a few moments. Her legs wobbled, but she stayed up as best she could. "N-N-No clue! We're about t-to find out!"

Sammy handed her one end of the hose and she stuck it in her mouth. Slowly and unsteadily, Ella hopped off of the ledge and into the mud. They went so far down that only Sammy's torso and head were visible, and she felt like she had to strain her neck to keep the mud from getting in her mouth. The second Ella's feet touched down onto the bottom of the pit, she took off as fast as she could. Which wasn't very fast at all.

Ella was breathing heavily through the hose, but Sammy could feel her own breath quickening. This whole challenge almost seemed like it was _designed_ to make her sweat - first racing through actual snow, then through something you could easily get completely submerged in… _What's next? Scuba Bear's gonna fly down from the sky and attack us? …Oh, dang it, I hope I didn't just jinx us again._

But she had to keep her composure, if not for her sake but for Ella's. She could deal with her trauma later, in a professional environment - with a million dollars and a chance at reinvention on the line, she'd be willing to go up against _ten_ scuba bears.

Sammy's thoughts paused. _Money_ really _makes people do unpredictable and stupid things, doesn't it?_

"You holding in okay, Ella?" Sammy asked into the hose. There was no response, and Sammy smacked her forehead. "Oh, _duh_. She can't hear through her mouth. That'd be weird."

All of a sudden, she could hear screaming from behind her, quiet yet quickly growing in volume, until the peanut gallery booth _literally_ came zooming in and screeching to a halt right next to her. Thanks to the law of inertia, its occupants all squeezed together at the other end, nearly sending Max and Rodney right out of it. Their moans and groans had become more and more frustrated and angry, and they tried to right themselves the moment their ride slowed down.

"I don't think I _ever_ want to go on a roller coaster again," Topher wheezed, leaning over his side.

"Not just roller coasters for me," Dave said in response. "I think entire _amusement parks_ are out."

"It's a good thing we didn't eat breakfast," Sugar mentioned, holding onto her stomach, "or else y'all front rowers would'a been needin' a shower!"

"You know, I'm thankful for that too!" Dave cried out, eyes wide in fear.

"You guys are in for a treat," Sammy called out to them, gaining their attention. "As far as I can tell, this part's actually pretty tame."

"Don't let McLean hear you say that," Amy said to her as she held her head between her legs.

"Look!" Leonard suddenly shouted, pointing farther down the mud pit. "Yonder players are making their return!"

Everyone looked back down to see Shawn actually coming towards them, in the opposite direction of where he should be going. He was looking down at where Jasmine was with confusion and panic in his eyes, and was trying to speak into the hose with little success.

"What are they doing?" Rodney asked. "They know the finish line's in the _other_ direction, right?"

"Did they get turned around?" Sky asked. "It shouldn't be hard to navigate a mud pit that only goes two ways!"

"Wait, hang on," Amy said with surprise in her voice. "Isn't Jasmine, like… claustra-something? Afraid of small spaces? Wouldn't being dunked in mud technically count as that?"

"Oh, _shoot_ ," Sammy said, her heart going out to Jasmine. "She must not have realized when she jumped in…" She spent a total of five seconds feeling sorry for her, before all thoughts turned to Shawn and Jasmine being on a collision course _right for her and Ella_. "Wait. Waaait wait, you're gonna-" She raised her voice. "You're gonna hit us! Move!"

Shawn looked up with frustration in his eyes. "I've been trying that! What do you think I've been doing?!"

"You don't have to be rude about it!" Sammy shouted back. She then looked down to where she knew Ella was. Her breathing through the tube had hastened, and Sammy could tell that her pace had slowed. "Hey, Ella, move to the si- …Ugh, what am I even doing?" Instead of speaking, Sammy tapped Ella's head on the left side. She paused in her walking, which nearly caused Sammy to fall over and into the mud, though they quickly righted themselves. She tapped Ella's head again, and she thankfully took a few steps to the right. Another tap in confirmation, and Ella began walking forward at an angle, almost coming to the mud pit's wall, and guaranteeing that they would be able to pass by Shawn and Jasmine.

Assuming Shawn and Jasmine _let them_ , of course.

"H-Hey, what are you doing?" Sammy asked when it became obvious that Shawn had changed Jasmine's direction and was still headed right for her.

"Not giving you the lead, that's what!" He held out one of his hands in an attempt to catch and stop her, but she swatted it away with one of her own.

"Don't! I don't want to fall in!" she said.

"And _I_ don't want you to win!" He tried to make another grab at her, but she hit that one away too. They devolved into some sort of one-handed slapping contest, neither one letting up on the other.

It went on for a few seconds more, until Chris suddenly yelled through the speakers, " _Boooooring!_ Deploy the 3.0 model!"

Both of them stopped hitting each other at that. "'3.0 model'?" they repeated simultaneously.

A roar caused them to look up, and Sammy's jaw dropped from the sight. "Scuba Bear's flying down from the sky to attack us… Argh, I totally _did_ jinx us…"

There was no time to scramble for the pit's wall and run away - the jet pack-equipped robot dove straight into the mud at lightning speed, and with enough force to cause a giant tidal wave of mud. It covered Sammy and Shawn entirely, and they were all sent hurtling down towards the end of the pit. Sammy tried to breathe, but obviously couldn't, and the panic was rising in her chest once more. That said, she didn't even have time to fret - within a moment, she landed onto solid ground, the mud still coating her, but her ability to suck in air regained. Mud got caught in her throat, sure, but at least she hadn't been submerged for long.

After her coughing fit, Sammy had enough presence of mind to see that she and Ella were now tied up with Jasmine and Shawn. They all seemed woozy from the tidal wave, however, and no one was ready to stand up and continue quite yet.

"W-What happened to the bear?" she asked, looking out over the mud pit. "It's not coming back, is it?"

"It can, if you want it to," Chris said as he and Chef pulled up to them in their jeep.

"No! No, I'm good, thanks!"

Ella coughed to her right, and spat out a large clump of mud. "I… I don't think I'm ever going to get a mud bath as long as I live," she wheezed. Sammy rubbed her back to ease her nerves.

Chef exited the jeep, pressed down on a rock with his foot, and had an _actual_ hose spring up from the ground. He aimed it at the contestants and sprayed water at them before they were able to get a word in, and they all screamed in surprise at the pressure. Within moments, they were completely mud-free. Dripping wet, but clean.

"Look at that, all tied up," Chris said, walking a little ways away. "How convenient! I think now's the _perfect_ opportunity for us to take a break!"

"A break?" Ella repeated, standing to her feet with a stunned expression. " _Now?_ In the middle of the _finale?_ "

"Sure! We've got time!" Chris pressed the remote and produced another TV from the ground, as well as a few rocks and a log in front of it. "Kick back and relax for a bit, until we resume! First thing's first, though…" The button was pressed again, and the booth sped right up to them once more, the screams of its inhabitants going ignored. "We oughta do something about _these_ guys."

Another press, and the booth was pulled down into the earth. A few moments later, and a giant glass box replaced it, where all of the peanut gallery had been unceremoniously dumped. "Now they're able to enjoy the show without interrupting us!" Chris said with glee.

"They can breathe in that, right?" Jasmine asked, squinting her eyes at the glass prison in suspicion.

"Sure can! Legal demanded it," Chris answered. "That said, while they can hear us, _we_ can't hear _them_." He strode over and rapped his knuckles against it. "Hey, Amy!" She raised her head. "Who in there wears red and can't count past 20?"

Amy raised a brow and looked around, only to quickly realize she'd been duped. Her face turned as red as her uniform and she started banging on the walls with accompanying shouts at Chris, but none of it was audible to the people outside.

"You see?" Chris said, concluding his demonstration. "Not a sound! Which is perfect for what we have coming up next." He gestured to the rocks and log. "Take a seat! You're gonna wanna be sitting for this next part…"

Sammy and Ella shot each other wary looks, but did as they were told and sat down, their opponents doing the same.

"Shawn, I hope you brought something to munch on, because _this_ movie's about to be wild!" Shawn was about to speak, but Chris pressed the button and flicked the TV on.

On the screen was Jasmine, sitting in the confessional. " _Pfft- ahahaha!_ " The recording started with her laughing hard at something and snorting a good several times. Once she started to calm down, she gave the camera a cheeky grin. " _Wow._ Zombies. _What a riot!_ "

Sammy felt a pit drop in her stomach.

The screen flickered to Jasmine again, in another position. " _Not only is he cute, but he even knows his way around a forest and what to keep an eye out for. Not to mention that sense of humor of his! Kinda wondering why it's always about_ zombies _though._ "

The video montage continued as such, with the Jasmine of the past unknowingly mocking the Shawn of the present. Sammy slowly turned towards them to see both of them wide-eyed; Shawn's mouth was hanging open, and Jasmine was covering hers.

"That- That was from the beginning of the show," Jasmine suddenly burst out, "before I really got to know you!"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Chris said, pressing the remote again. "We have more recent dirt, too!"

" _She really_ must have _talked to him,_ " the on-screen Jasmine said, a look of awe in her face. " _He only mentioned the zombie stuff a handful of times. I'm honestly starting to think this could work between us! We even teamed up, and agreed to split the prize if one of us wins!_ " She pondered that for a second. " _Maybe I can find a way to convince him to change his goal? I mean, a zombie bunker's nice and all, but it's not exactly practical…_ "

The video paused, and Chris reared his head alongside it. "I wonder, did she ever get around to convincing him? My guess is _no!_ "

Sammy's jaw hung wide open, and she looked between the cruel grin on Chris's face and the look of betrayal on Shawn's. He simply stared at the screen in shock as Jasmine shouted at the host. "I changed my mind literally a second after that!" she insisted. "Play the rest of the clip! You'll see!"

"You," Shawn stammered, causing everyone to shut up and listen. "You thought those were _jokes?_ This whole time?"

"Like I said, this was _before I got to know you_ ," Jasmine emphasized. There was sweat dripping from her brow - Sammy could say with certainty that she had _never_ seen her this nervous before. "I thought it was a bit you were doing! Then it turned out you were serious about it, so I started _taking_ it seriously!"

"Serious enough you wanted me to change what I'd do with the money," Shawn quietly countered. He didn't appear to be mad, but Sammy could feel a sharpness to his voice.

It was such a heartbreaking thing to see. This was _exactly_ the reason why Chris had paired up the couples, in order to try and get under their skin. She felt foolish for only seeing that now. Sammy wanted to step in and help them out, to calm them down and help them sort this out rationally. But of course, Chris decided then to ruin her chances by stepping over to her and Ella with a malicious smile. "Samey, I'm _sure_ you don't want to be left out of this, so we prepared a special presentation for you as well!"

She stared at him in morbid curiosity. "What… do you mean…?"

"Yes, exactly!" Ella nearly shouted, rising to her feet. Her eyes were bulging and frightened and confused. "What do you _mean?_ I've never said _anything_ negative about her before! How on _earth_ could you have something-"

Chris blew the air horn in her face, cutting her off. "You'd be surprised, actually!" He switched the TV to a clip of Ella in the confessional, and Sammy felt her heart sink further in her chest.

" _And Sammy…_ " the recording of Ella said. It was likely taken from one of their first days, as she still wore her bow and both of her gloves. " _She seemed quiet and so timid. Almost like a cute little mouse. I feel bad for her. But at the same time…_ " Ella looked to the camera and almost seemed to smile in an odd way. " _I think I can use that._ "

_I think I can use that._

_I think I can use that._

_**I think I can use that.** _

"What?" Sammy asked in a tiny voice.

" _What?!_ " Ella asked in a much louder voice. "How- What- I have never _once_ said _anything_ like that! How _dare_ -"

Sammy stopped listening to her and paid attention to the screen as it flickered again. Now Ella was looking a bit more roughed up, suggesting that this was perhaps a few days into the game. " _She apologised so much to me, she must have been feeling so guilty for making me shock the others._ " The footage seemed to almost 'flicker' a little, but Sammy was far too focused on what Ella was saying to bother making a note of it. " _And she deserves it. What she did was terrible and she should feel ashamed. It's a good thing I have her in my care, else she would have likely been eliminated by now._ "

"Wh… Wha…" She couldn't say anything intelligible. She could only stare blankly at the screen as Ella's confessionals proceeded to absolutely _obliterate_ any and all confidence she gained during the game.

Her best friend?

Her potential partner?

Apparently she had been leading her on.

The _entire time_.

Sammy shook violently, not in rage, but in shock. She was paralyzed to the rock she was sitting on, and could barely feel any part of her body as her mind was working a mile a minute.

 _This can't be real. This can't be real. This_ can't _be_ real _. There's no way Ella has been playing me this whole time. It was all too real. I could tell. She was sincere about everything. Right? But then what's up with these clips? Why was she saying these things? Had she actually been stringing me along from the very beginning? There's no way. Ella's my friend, my_ best _friend. But… But what if she's not? What if she_ was _using me? What if she was really like Amy from before and was just… just using me? Is that really what happened? Am I just that easy to manipulate that she went right for the throat from the moment she met me? Was… Was_ everything _that happened here a complete_ lie _?!_

"Sam, _listen to me!_ "

Sammy was shaken out of her thoughts quite literally by Ella. She was right in her face and looking terrified and panicked. "Ignore the TV! What it's showing isn't real! I _never_ said anything like that, _ever!_ They must have faked those videos or something, I-"

Another transition, and Sammy stopped listening to her once more. The Ella on the screen was without both her gloves and her bow, as well as the red sleeve, meaning this clip couldn't have been recorded no earlier than yesterday afternoon. " _And now, finally, the end is in sight. It wasn't easy getting here, especially since-_ " There was that flickering jump again, " _-leading Sammy on like that was beginning to take its toll on me. She could be_ ever _so dull…"_ Jump. " _Sammy, if you're watching this, at some point in the future when the show airs, I just want you to know that-_ " Jump, " _you were useful to me up until the very end. Thank you for being so very easy to manipulate._ "

Her heart was beating several times faster than it should have been, and she was beginning to feel the start of a cold sweat on her back. Ella was shaking her once more, but she couldn't hear her. She was far too lost in her own thoughts to hear anyone. _This is real. This is real. This… This is all real. I've been misled. It was fake. This entire thing was fake. I don't have an almost girlfriend. I… I probably don't even have any friends. Amy probably got to them from the very start and they've all been against me this whole time. I… I actually don't have anyone. I never had anyone. And I never will._

While the shaking and shouting wasn't enough to break Sammy from her stupor, the overly loud air horn was, and she looked up to Chris addressing them all. "I'm sorry, but I… am out of popcorn. So we should probably get back to the challenge!"

" _Seriously?!_ " everyone shouted at him. Everyone save for Sammy, that is, who was still far too overwhelmed to say anything coherent.

Chris ignored them. "Obviously, the Partners aren't going to want to be partnering up with their respective Finalist anymore. So instead, these _helpers_ are now going to be _hinderers_."

Chef Hatchet walked up to them with what looked like video game controllers in his hands. He tossed one to Shawn, and then one to Sammy, and the only reason she managed to catch it was purely because of instinct. "As mentioned, the island is now back online," Chris continued. "And, with these controllers, Shawn and Samey will be able to throw up obstacles to slow Jasmine and Ella down, or completely crush the both of you!"

Sammy looked at the controller in her hand. It looked similar to the Switch controller from the resort yesterday, but different enough. She felt it around and wondered how on earth she was going to use this against… She sighed and frowned. _Against Ella._

Chris grinned widely. " _That_ was the good part. Let me tell you the _bad_ part: Jasmine and Ella, you both have 10 minutes to reach the finish line at the end of the open field and complete the challenge. If neither of you do, Shawn and Samey get to split the money instead!"

" _Excuse me?!_ " Ella shouted in alarm.

"Wha- You can't do that!" Jasmine yelled.

"I can! I will! I am!" Chris declared happily, and then blew the air horn once more, this time in Chef's face. He didn't seem to appreciate it. " _GO!_ "

There wasn't an immediate reaction from anyone, and the four of them looked at each other in various states of shock and worry. The first person to make a move was Jasmine who, after looking forlornly at Shawn, gritted her teeth and took off down the path. Shawn, likewise, bared his own teeth and stared at the controller in his hands.

Despite watching the competition take off, however, Ella stayed rooted on the spot. She spent several solid seconds watching Jasmine shrink on the horizon, before turning fully towards Sammy and falling to her knees in front of her. "Sam?"

Sammy could really only stare at her, in confusion, in hurt, in a desire to get the heck out of there and back into her bed so that she could cry herself to sleep every night for the rest of her life. "Shouldn't you be going?" she asked. Her voice was quieter, lifeless, and felt far too familiar for her own liking.

If she didn't know any better - and she did, she'd fallen for these tricks far more often than she'd like to admit - Sammy could have sworn she saw Ella's heart break from her facial expressions alone. After a pause, Ella's eyebrows knitted together, and her mouth set in a straight line. "No."

"'No'?" Sammy repeated, and breathed out a humorless laugh. "Why? You got what you wanted. You got to the finale. If you don't-"

"Stop talking."

Sammy did just that. She hated herself for it.

Ella sighed deeply. "I…" she paused for emphasis. " _NEVER._ Would say _ANY_ of those hurtful things. You mean _so_ much to me. So much _more_ to me than money. I care about our relationship more than some prize. So, no. I'm not going. Not until we're okay again, and the damage that _he's_ done-" she jabbed a thumb behind her at Chris, "is smoothed out and fixed."

Sammy stared at her, attempting to read every miniscule detail on Ella's face. Either she was the best actor in the world, or she was being sincere. Like all the times before… "How do I know this isn't another attempt at manipulating me?"

"Because there were _never_ any attempts at manipulating you," Ella answered immediately. "Everything up to now was real, genuine and honest. The only one doing any manipulating is _Chris_ , and _he's_ trying to drive a wedge between us! This was the entire point of us getting paired up!"

"…Oh." She had to admit, she had forgotten that detail. Though there _was_ a good reason for it.

"So listen to me," Ella kept going, and she placed her hands on Sammy's cheeks and looked right into her soul. " _I love you_." Sammy's eyes widened. "I don't care if it's too early to say that, my feelings for you are _real_ and have _always_ been real. I've been on your side since day one and there's _no way_ I'm changing now. So please, _please_ understand that whatever Chris tried to show you is fake! They didn't have any dirt to upset you, so they had to make some of their own!"

Sammy glanced over at Chris who, for the briefest moment, looked away and clicked his tongue. "I _thought_ I saw the video stuttering in some places…" Sammy said quietly.

"You see?! They're _trying_ to tear us apart! Believe me when I say you are one of the most important people in my life and I would _never, EVER_ do anything to willingly betray your trust!"

Before Sammy had a chance to reply, Chris cleared his throat and approached the two of them. "Hey, uh, you realize you've only got like, eight and a half minutes before you lose, right?" he asked, his face and voice unamused. "I'd stop wasting time if I were-"

And that was when the impossible happened.

Hell froze over.

Pigs started flying.

And Ella?

Ella got _pissed_.

"Will you just _**SHUT THE HELL UP?!**_ "

Such an angry and unexpected outburst from her startled _everyone_. Whatever funk Sammy was in evaporated immediately; Shawn looked up from the screen in front of him to gape at her; even _Chris_ looked terrified, and rightfully so. Ella stood to her feet and whirled on him, jabbing him in the chest with an accusing finger. "This is all _your fault!_ You just _had_ to meddle in our lives one last time, didn't you?! It wasn't enough to physically torture us, but _mentally and emotionally_ too?! You're an absolute _monster_ of a human being! I despise you and _everything_ you stand for, and I try to find the good in _everyone_ so you _know_ you must be terrible for me to think that! I'm glad this is the final challenge, because that means we get to have _nothing to do with you_ for the rest of our lives! So go away, leave us alone, and _never try anything like that with us ever again!_ "

She then promptly ignored his horrified expression, turning back to Sammy and kneeling down to her once more. Her entire face was completely flushed from rage, her breathing quickened and heavy. Despite that, there was a fire burning behind her eyes, and Sammy felt like she couldn't turn away from them. "Okay. Wow. Uh, not gonna lie, that was kinda hot."

Ella stared, the fire refusing to go out, but then she snorted in her hand and her frown turned upside down. "Oh, goodness! First time I was told _that!_ "

Sammy laughed along with her, louder and with more joy than she had intended. Most of the negativity in her heart was disappearing, now that the truth had come to light. It _should_ have been obvious Chris was trying to mess with them, but even though Sammy had grown so much in such a short amount of time, her confidence and ego were still dangerously fragile. All it took was a fake video for her to think that everything had been a lie, that nothing else waited for her aside from pain, misery and despair. She didn't want to think about what her future would have been like if that had turned out to be real.

Chances were, if the people she had come to trust so fiercely betrayed her bad enough, her future itself could have been cut short.

But now wasn't the time to think of such things. They were here, in the present, and they were going to stay together as long as they could. Sammy could feel it in her heart.

They laughed to release the pent up tension in their bodies, and soon Ella looked back up to Sammy with a fraction of hope in her eyes. "Hey, are… are we okay?"

Sammy didn't hesitate in nodding. "Yeah, I think we are."

"Oh thank _G_ _od_." Ella let out the biggest sigh Sammy had ever heard, and she enveloped her in a giant hug. "I was scared for a moment, honestly."

Sammy returned the embrace. "I was, too. I'm so sorry I doubted you, even for a second."

"I don't blame you. I'm sure I can understand what was going through your mind."

They held the hug for a few moments longer; her nerves were still working overtime, but the embrace was helping her to calm down. Sammy took a moment to think about how _grateful_ she was that Ella was so determined to make things work between them. She had almost fallen into Chris's trap, but Ella's refusal to let him do that allowed Sammy to be pulled out of it. She owed Ella her happiness tenfold, now.

Without really thinking about it, Sammy opened her eyes. To see Chris glaring at them. To see Shawn looking back at the screen. To see Jasmine _on_ the screen, running to the end-

"Ah crap! You need to go!" Sammy said quickly, pushing Ella away from her.

"Wha-" she started, dazed.

"Go! _Run!_ You have a finale to win!" Sammy turned her around and pushed her further. Ella, thankfully, needed no further instruction and dashed away from their spot. Without taking a moment to pause, Sammy asked Shawn. "Hey, are you helping or hindering her?"

"Uh-" he stammered, glancing unsurely between her and the TV. "I… I don't know."

"I see," Sammy replied, and looked to the screen. It had suddenly split down the middle, with the right continuing to show Jasmine, while the left began showing Ella. Sammy sat down and readied the controller in her hand. "Well, sorry, but Jasmine's getting hindered now."

She had _no idea_ what each button on the controller did, but she was about to find out. Unfortunately, the very first one she pressed caused a tree trunk to spring out of the ground in front of _Ella._ "Whoa- _Hey!_ " she cried out, skidding to a stop before hitting it. "What gives?!"

"Gah- Sorry, accident!" Sammy cried out, not sure if she heard. Regardless if she did, Ella pressed forward. "Uhh, okay, umm…" She looked at the controller, not trusting herself to choose the right thing. Thinking about it now, the controllers must have been designed to target whichever Finalist the Partner had been assigned to. It was just more proof that Chris had wanted to split them up from the very beginning. "Is there an instruction manual for this?!"

Chris, who was especially displeased with how things were working out, shook his head. "Nope! It's a guessing game for you! Hopefully you end up picking something good-" He was interrupted when a crumpled piece of paper flew past his head and into Sammy's lap. "Huh?!" He turned around and glared. " _Chef!_ "

"Oops," said the hulking man innocently. "My hand must'a slipped."

As Chris proceeded to tear Chef a new one, and Shawn complained about how he hadn't received _his_ manual yet, Sammy wasted no time in unfolding it and studying the lone image of the controller and what each of its buttons did. She quickly identified the 'Change Target' button, and hit it without pause. A red indicator in the corner of Ella's part of the screen vanished, and was then placed underneath the orange indicator on Jasmine's. " _Perfect_ ," Sammy said with a grin, and went to town on pressing _all_ of the buttons.

Jasmine was quickly bombarded with trunks sprouting from the ground, trees ascending into the sky like rockets, large wooden walls that required her to scale them, and all sorts of obstacles that were meant to obstruct her. Only, they didn't do that, because Jasmine was so used to adversity that she was able to dodge and leap over each one with barely any issues. It came down to Sammy pressing a few buttons in sequence to cause an incredibly large tree to fall directly on top of the Australian. The blonde was frightful that she may have actually hurt her, but was both relieved and annoyed when Jasmine, with great effort, literally picked up the tree and tossed it away before continuing on.

 _This isn't working,_ she thought with a nervous frown. _She doesn't have far left to go and there's no way any of this is going to stop her. She's fast and nimble and would be able to bypass everything I throw at her…_

An epiphany struck.

 _So maybe stop trying to slow her down, and try to speed Ella_ up _. But how? All of this stuff is for hindering, not helping. Maybe I can use those tree trunks to spring her to the finish… Ugh, no, that wouldn't work! I need something better! Something more reliable, that would get her from last to first! C'mon, think! Last to first…_

_Last to first…_

_Last to… first._

_Last… to…_

" _And_ then _I picked up some sort of rocket item that sends me down the track at top speed. Helps me get closer to first place if I'm trailing."_

Sammy's eyes shot open. " _THAT'S IT!_ "

Ignoring the startled looks from everyone around her, she consulted the instruction manual one last time, saw that what she wanted to do could actually be done, and switched her target back over to Ella.

Then she summoned one of those rocket trees, and pressed a few more buttons in order to enter manual flying mode.

Controlling the flying tree was _weird_ , and it took her a few seconds to get the hang of it, but soon enough she was able to maneuver it down near the ground and keep it level with Ella.

"What in the _-_ " she murmured, staring at the thing like it was about to attack her.

"Get on!" Sammy said, but Ella obviously couldn't hear her. She groaned and tried wiggling the tree around, to try and get Ella to think on the same page as her. They only had so much time before they ran _out_ of time, and the sooner Ella figured it out the better.

" _Oh!_ " she exclaimed suddenly. She looked down the field before her, back at the tree with a look of mild nervousness, and then leapt for it.

" _Yes!_ " Sammy cheered.

"Hey!" Shawn exclaimed. "Is that even allowed?!"

Chris walked between them and examined the screen. " _Technically_ I didn't say anything about Partners _not_ being allowed to help their Partners… And this _does_ go against what we had planned for the finale since the very beginning… But I mean, _c'mon!_ Getting her to ride a _rocket_ across the island? Even _I_ wouldn't have thought of that!"

"But that isn't fair!" Shawn protested.

"I mean, Total Drama has never been fair, but I _do_ see your point…" He rubbed at his chin. "Hmm… Ah! Tell ya what." He swiped the manual from Sammy's lap and handed it to Shawn. "Go wild, and make this a finale to remember!"

"Huh? What are you doing?" Sammy asked, looking between the two of them.

Shawn stared at the paper in front of him, and sighed heavily. " _I_ think we should split the money between us," he said to Sammy. "But clearly that's not happening anytime soon."

He was still reeling from Jasmine's confessionals. Sammy's heart hurt for him - Jasmine had told her that she'd talk to Shawn if the zombie obsession was becoming too much to handle, but Sammy hadn't expected her to outright say that she wanted his dream with the money to change entirely. That had been totally uncalled for. While, yes, a zombie bunker was a bit much to swallow, in Sammy's opinion she really should have just let Shawn do his own thing. Heck, Sammy thought a flower-shop-slash-cage-fighting-school was weird, but if that's what Jasmine wanted then by all means, Sammy would root for her dream to come true.

On the other hand, the confessional was _meant_ to be private, and no one could have predicted Chris would have used the clips against the players. She supposed it was their own fault for giving him ammunition, but wasn't it a guaranteed rule that at the very least none of the other contestants would hear it? While Jasmine saying those things was hurtful, yes, Chris was the one in the wrong for having anyone else witness it. Maybe she ought to read the contract in its entirety when she had the chance, to see if there was some rule he had gone against…

The point still stood however. There was going to have to be some serious talking between Shawn and Jasmine in order for them to iron things out.

But it looked like, at least for the moment, that would have to be put on hold.

Shawn fired up a rocket tree and entered manual mode.

" _Shoot_ ," Sammy cursed, and refocused her attention back to the screen. Ella had, miraculously, managed to get herself situated on the still-moving tree. While it looked far from comfortable, she found a spot between branches where she was able to see out and ahead of her. When she settled in, she gave a thumbs up to whatever camera was looking at her, and Sammy pressed upwards on the control stick to send the rocket careening down the field.

Ella was visibly holding on for dear life, her eyes squinting as pine needles from the branches assaulted her face. Other than that, it was just a trip down a straight and narrow field. No obstacles, nothing to crash into, just a normal ride on a giant rocket tree. Sammy, too focused on Ella's part of the screen, hadn't witnessed Jasmine hopping on her own rocket however, and now that Ella had reached her the race became tied and stayed tied.

There wasn't much of the race left, all things considered - the trees were making short work of the two miles laid out before them. They were going at the same speed, meaning something would have to happen in order to get Ella just a bit farther ahead and cross the finish line first.

Unfortunately, something _did_ happen, and it wasn't Sammy who did it.

Several other trees popped out of the ground a little ways in front of the Finalists, and stayed there to act as blockades. There were gaps between each of them, big enough for the rocket trees and their riders to get through. Despite that, they appeared without warning and so close to the rockets that Sammy had to scramble and change Ella's course to avoid them.

"Jesus-" she shouted, and turned to Shawn. "What the heck was _that?!_ "

"I trust my ability to get around them," he said, pressing another button to spawn more trees. Sammy had to work fast to keep Ella from colliding with them. "But I'm willing to bet you're probably nowhere near as good."

Sammy tried to stammer out a response, but cut herself short when another set of trees appeared. " _Shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot-_ " One after another, rows upon rows of them sprung up from the ground, forcing her to keep her eyes on the screen and dodge around everything. "This could actually hurt them, you know?!" Sammy cried out at him.

Shawn didn't reply.

Letting out a shriek of frustration, Sammy concentrated exclusively on the screen, making sure that Ella stayed safe the whole way through. The trees appeared mere seconds after each other, and there were several close calls where Ella had to actually duck to avoid smacking her face against another tree's branch. "This was a _huge_ mistake," Sammy muttered to herself, tapping the control stick just _slightly_ to avoid crashing into a tree.

"What are you talking about?" Chris asked, getting uncomfortably close to her. "This is gonna be _incredible_ for ratings! The bombastic action, the heart-wrenching drama… _This_ is what the show's all about! I wish I had thought of _this_ when we were planning the challenge!"

"That's great but I don't care!" Sammy yelled, and physically shoved Chris away. She was _far_ too busy to worry about whatever BS he was spouting.

Left, right, right again, left again, and so on were the directions Sammy navigated the rocket. It was hard to make out how Ella was doing, but she could at least hear her shouting over to Jasmine every now and then. With the roar of the trees' engines however, it was impossible to make out exactly what she was saying.

But then, there it was: the finish line. Still small on the horizon, but they were approaching it fast. They needed to get Jasmine _out of there_ , but Sammy didn't have the first idea as to how. She sincerely doubted she'd be able to both switch targets and deploy obstacles against Jasmine, all while still maintaining control over Ella's rocket, so something _here_ and _now_ had to happen for them to get the win.

And then that something happened.

Sammy only had a split second to grasp what was happening before a giant _cliff_ jutted up from the ground; not a line of trees, but this time actual earth and stone. And this cliff encompassed the _entire_ field before them - no narrow spaces to wedge the rocket into. It came up so fast that Sammy barely had any time to react to it.

" _OH GOD!_ "

She pushed up.

The rocket went up.

And clipped the edge of the mountain.

Ella couldn't hold on and went sailing through the air with a screech.

" _ELLA!_ " Sammy screamed and leapt to her feet, at the exact same moment that Shawn shouted, " _JASMINE!_ " Apparently the same thing happened to _her_.

"Shawn, what the _hell_ man?!" Sammy yelled.

" _Me?!_ " he countered. "I didn't do that! I didn't press the mountain button!"

"Oh, sorry," came Chris's voice. "That was me." The two turned back to see him suddenly holding his _own_ controller, and a devilish grin on his face. "Thought this needed more excitement."

" _SERIOUSLY?!_ " the two of them shouted. The host innocently shrugged in response.

Sammy screamed in rage again and went back to the screen. Both Jasmine and Ella were hurdling through the air, tumbling head over feet, and arms and legs at all angles. They were swiftly descending, and were on a collision course for the ground. They needed something to cushion the blow, something bouncy or soft or _anything_ that wouldn't make them a red smear on the grass.

 _What can I do what can I do what can I do-_ The instruction manual appeared in her mind, and she zeroed in on one particular function. "Oh, wait, the snow button!" she suddenly shouted, and put all of her might and energy into holding down the trigger on the controller's right shoulder.

"Right, snow will work!" Shawn agreed, and did just the same thing. All of a sudden the clouds covered the valley and snow started coming down in _droves_. With both of them creating it, it piled up _fast_ , fast enough that a good amount had covered the ground in record time, and enough of it that landing wouldn't be as painful as it would otherwise be.

Sammy kept making it snow, watching as the girls grew increasingly closer to hitting the ground, and she had the presence of mind to realize that they were, coincidentally, shockingly, flying _right_ for the finish line.

Then, they crashed.

They impacted a few meters away from the line. Their momentum caused them to plow right through the snow, and they ended up deep enough that Sammy actually lost track of which trail of snow belonged to who. They kept going directly on course for the finish line, and Sammy blocked out all other intrusive senses as she watched.

One of them hit the pole and stopped moving entirely.

The other went right through the finish line and stopped on their own.

Everyone was dead silent, trying to process what happened. Then, Sammy remembered herself. " _Ella!_ " she screeched and, without another word, took off at a sprint for the finish line.

The only thing on her mind was Ella's safety. Was she hurt? Was anything broken? How was she feeling, covered in the snow like that? It probably wasn't as much as the amount Sammy had been under, but she was terrified for her nonetheless. She knew _she'd_ be scared out of her mind if that had happened to _her_.

Jasmine she was scared for as well. Sure, she was sturdier than Ella, and had probably suffered far worse in her time in the Outback, but that was still a dangerous thing to have happen to you. What if she wasn't able to take part in any survivalist activities anymore? She'd be absolutely heartbroken…

 _I'm_ really _starting to think using that rocket tree was a bad idea…_

Just as Sammy was about to reach the first set of obstacles she had summoned for Jasmine, the sound of a car horn grabbed her attention. "What the-" she started, and turned around in time to see Chef Hatchet, Shawn and an intern skid to a halt in the jeep.

"Hop in, kid!" he commanded, beckoning her with his hand. At some point he had swapped his chef outfit to his nurse's outfit, and Sammy spared a single second wondering where he found the time to do that. "We'll get there faster this way!"

She wasted no time leaping into the backseat, and the second she got the seatbelt on Chef sped off once more. _Please be alright, please be alright,_ she repeated in her head. Shawn didn't say a word from the front seat as they drove, but Sammy could tell by his body language that he was just as nervous as she was.

"You holding out okay?" asked a voice from her left. Sammy turned to the intern and blinked in surprise.

"Sarah?" she asked. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you."

The intern shrugged lightly. "It's fine. Happens more often than you'd think, so I'm used to it."

That must have been the fate for all interns, Sammy assumed. "I thought you were stationed at the resort. When'd you get to the island?"

"Last night," Sarah answered. "I'm one of the few with proper medical training, so they needed all hands on deck for today, just in case something happened." She raised a brow and looked forward down the plain, in the direction where Ella and Jasmine currently laid. "And, obviously, something happened."

Sammy winced. "Yeah, I… may have went too far with the rocket…"

"I mean, it was probably the best thing you could have done. No offense, but there was no way that Ella was going to catch up to Jasmine, especially since she didn't leave right away."

"You're probably right." She sighed. "Still, I hope they're okay…"

They rode in silence for the rest of the trip, which wasn't very long - Chef floored the gas pedal the entire way, and they covered the two mile distance in record time. The jeep was equipped with tires that could go over the snow easily enough, allowing them to maintain their speed when they reached the first signs of it.

And there, not too far off in the distance, were both girls, covered in snow, and trying to stand up.

Sammy gasped, and the moment the jeep came to a stop she ripped her seatbelt off and bolted over to Ella. "Are you okay?!" she yelled, falling to her knees and proceeding to help her up.

Ella coughed, and a large amount of mushy snow flew out of her mouth. "I-I've been better," she said weakly. "That was… Oof. That was something else."

"I'm sorry," Sammy quickly said. "I'm so, _so_ sorry. I shouldn't have made you ride that stupid tree! You could have seriously been hurt or- or- you're, like, not actually seriously hurt are you?"

"Help me up," Ella said after a second. Sammy supported her as she stood, fretting all the while. She was wobbly, yes, and now that she had a better view of her she could see several cuts and scrapes on her face, likely from where she had been pelted by pine needles. But after letting go and standing on her own, it was obvious Ella wasn't going to fall over anytime soon. "I… think I'm okay."

"Oh thank God," Sammy sighed in relief.

"Hey, is everything alright over here?" Sarah asked, suddenly approaching the two. She was pushing a stretcher with a few boxes of first aid material on it.

Ella answered in the affirmative, but Sarah insisted on a checkup. As the intern was examining her arms, Sammy watched intently, making sure that everything actually _was_ alright. She knew Ella would never lie to her, no matter what her frazzled brain was trying to tell her. There was no harm in being certain however, and Sammy waited quietly but impatiently for the results.

A minute or two passed, and Sarah nodded happily. "You seem to be up to par," she said. "I'd still like to take you to the infirmary, just to be thorough. But for now, I think you can get away with celebrating properly."

Sammy and Ella looked to each other. "What do you mean?" they asked in unison.

Sarah smirked, and jerked a thumb over her shoulder.

At the finish line.

Where Chef and Shawn were tending to Jasmine.

Who had hit her head on the pole.

Sammy and Ella kept staring at them.

They stared at the back of the finish line's banner.

And then turned to stare at each other once more.

"We won," Ella said in barely a whisper.

"We-" Sammy swallowed thickly. "We won."

Neither of them moved an inch. They hardly _breathed_. Reality hadn't caught up with either of them, and it stayed that way for several moments.

Ella released a breath and her mouth cracked into a small smile.

That small movement was infectious enough to make Sammy start smiling and giggling.

And then the two of them finally broke out into grins and wide eyes and they both _cheered_.

" _WE WON!_ " they shouted, over and over and over again, and they tackled each other into a crushing hug. Sammy lifted Ella off the ground and swung her around, lost balance after the second spin, and collapsed into the snow, laughter on their lips and jubilation in their hearts.

They had done it. They had _won_. They had survived two weeks on this despicable, repulsive mechanical island, overcame all the challenges that had been laid out before them, and could go home saying that they had _triumphed_.

And not only that, they were richer for it. Not only in experience, but actual _wealth._ They had a million dollars between the two of them now. They could do _anything_ they wanted now. _Go_ anywhere they wanted. The world had just opened up and was ready for them to explore.

But most importantly, above anything else, this proved that Ella was more than just a princess to be bullied at school, that Sammy was more than a doormat unable to leave her sister's shadow. They were winners, they were _champions_ , and they could be counted among the very few people who could call themselves that.

This was everything that Sammy had hoped for.

She couldn't stop herself.

She started crying on the spot.

And because of that, Ella began crying as well.

And they both couldn't feel any happier all the while.

* * *

They had all gathered at the helicopter that had brought them in. The peanut gallery had been freed from their prison, and Ella and Jasmine had been declared fit to leave the infirmary. The impact into the snow had done no damage to either of them, miraculously, and the bump on the pole left Jasmine more dazed and confused than anything. Everyone was safe, and everyone was happy.

Or rather, mostly everyone - Sugar was agitated that Ella had won, but not many people paid attention to her. Topher had been rooting for Jasmine and Shawn to win, and since they did not, he was wearing a perpetual frown. Meanwhile, Dave had been grossed out because at one point Max had thrown up in the prison, and they were all forced to endure the smell for the time they were in there. Everyone suffered for it, and Dave worst of all, though now that he was in fresh air he was only slightly grouchy.

Jasmine and Shawn, unfortunately, were also among the few that were less enthused. Even though he had sided with her in the end, whatever relationship that had been budding between them had become strained. Shawn was upset, and stood away from their group with a dejected frown on his face. Jasmine, meanwhile, was holding herself together better, but Sammy could see the fist quaking at her side. She wasn't okay, _neither_ of them were okay, and Sammy longed to go to the both of them and give them hugs and tell them everything _would_ be okay. But sadly, now was neither the time nor place to do that.

Chris stood just outside the helicopter, and beckoned Ella forward. She grinned, gave Sammy a peck on the cheek, and jogged up to him. "Ella," he started. "You began this game as nothing more than a one-note side character who most people wouldn't have given a second thought for." The grin quickly faded from Ella's face. "Someone _so_ embarrassing that you _literally_ had to change your gimmick up once you got far enough, so that everyone could start taking you seriously."

"Please just get on with it," she said sternly.

"However, over the course of two weeks, you've grown into a respectable young woman with a bright future ahead of her. As such!" He snapped his fingers, and Sarah approached her with the briefcase full of money. "I am pleased to award you the paltry sum - to _me_ , of course - of _one. Million. Dollars!_ "

Sarah emphasized his sentence by opening the case on the last word. The money was there, all stacked nice and neat and practically _shining_ in the sunlight. Ella squee'd in delight, and gingerly accepted the case when it was handed to her. She took only a moment to stare at the money further before closing it, likely afraid she might drop it all if she kept it open. With the case locked in place, she smiled gratefully at Sarah, and turned back to everyone.

"Speech!" Beardo suddenly cried out, hands cupped over his mouth.

Sky laughed and did the same. "Speech! Speech!"

"A speech?!" Ella asked, a nervous grin on her face. "Oh, goodness, I… haven't exactly prepared one for this moment, but I'll try my best." She cleared her throat. "Um… It took… a _lot_ of overcoming hardships to get here. From having to contend with the entire island exploding, to… facing truths about myself I didn't want to accept, there had been _so_ much to deal with. It was _far_ from a walk in the park, and at any point I could have easily lost, either to the game or… or to myself." Ella's eyes then landed on Sammy, and she smiled warmly. "But I had so much help in getting here, from such a wonderful group of friends to guide me. Even when so many people had given up on me in the past, _these_ people proved to be the most kind and caring individuals I've _ever_ had the pleasure of knowing. It's because of them I am where I am now, that I am _who_ I am now. I dread to think of what my life would have been like had I never auditioned for this show. And now, I can say with absolute confidence, that every bit of suffering I've gone through was worth it." She held the briefcase close to her chest and grinned. "So thank you, everyone, for helping me get to this point in time. You all mean more to me than you could possibly imagine."

"Does that mean you're gonna split the loot?!" Sugar hollered from the back of the crowd.

Ella paused. "Umm… No."

That simple answer caused laughter to spread through the crowd, followed by uproarious applause and cheers. Sammy broke rank first and ran up to Ella to give her another giant hug; Ella returned it with only one hand, as the briefcase was making it awkward to do anything else.

"I'm so proud of you," Sammy said to her, nuzzling into the crook of her neck.

"I know," Ella replied softly. "I am too."

The next thing they knew, several strong arms, belonging to Beardo, Sky and Rodney, lifted them into the air and tossed them up high. The girls screamed at first, but it quickly became laughter as they were caught and thrown again. They gave three cheers for Ella, who blushed furiously but allowed it to happen, and Sammy joined in with them despite being up there with her.

At the apex of one of the throws, Sammy looked down to the ground to see that, while she hadn't joined in with the tossing, Amy was cheering just as loudly as the others. The twins' eyes met, and Amy gave her the _biggest_ , most _positive_ smile Sammy had ever seen on her face. She returned it, knowing that everything that had happened between them changed them for the better, and that their broken relationship was on the path to becoming mended. Some steps still needed to be taken, but good progress had been made in a short amount of time, and Sammy had high hopes for what the future would bring.

Soon, the cheering ended, and the two were set down. Chris had waited impatiently for them, and directed them all to get back on the helicopter for one last shot before wrapping up the season.

Ella and Sammy stepped in first, the former helping the latter up, and were just about to head to the back when Ella stopped and looked to the cockpit. Sammy quirked a brow and looked in that direction as well, and just managed to overhear the voice of Chef Hatchet talking to someone. "Uh-huh. That's right. Oh, and make sure Sunday gets what she's owed. We don't want _another_ third party demanding the pay we didn't give them."

Curious, Ella poked her head into the cockpit. "Who's Sunday?" she asked innocently.

Chef yelped and hastily ended the call on his phone. "N-Never you mind!" he said sharply. "Now shoo! Go sit! Go!"

Ella and Sammy shared a look, shrugged, and left him be.

The others had begun to pile in, and the two of them allowed them all to pass by uninterrupted. Rodney still kept his gaze away from Sammy, which caused her to hum in concern; Sugar gave Ella the stink eye as she passed, causing her to blink in confusion at first, then follow it up with an unimpressed stare of her own; Shawn didn't bother looking at either of them as he trudged to the back corner; and Jasmine stopped to give Ella a friendly handshake.

"Congrats, Ella," she said evenly. "I knew you had it in you."

"Thank you," Ella replied. "I'm sorry your… um, flower-shop-slash-cage-fighting-school dream won't be coming true anytime soon." She visibly hid the cringe in her face as she said that.

Jasmine didn't even seem to notice. "Ah, it is what it is. I'm sure I'll find another way to get it up and running. There's plenty of different avenues I haven't tried yet, so there's no sense in me giving up on it now."

"That's right," Ella said. "You have your whole life ahead of you. I'm _sure_ you'll be able to open it someday."

"I'm sure, too," Jasmine said, and then smiled warmly at her. "You know, you're alright. Out of anyone I could've lost to, I'm glad it was you."

Ella grinned. "I feel honored that you think that."

Sammy looked at the two of them as they spoke and grinned happily, thankful that no ill will was spreading between them.

"Hey, you three," Chris said, drawing their attention to the helicopter's entrance. "Set yourselves up here so we can get you in the final shot."

He said it so dismissively that all three of them huffed in annoyance. "Can't even be bothered to ask us," Jasmine grumbled.

"You'd think we'd be used to it by now, but nope," Sammy said. "He's still as rotten as ever."

Nevertheless, they went over to him. Sammy sat down on the edge and dangled her legs over the side, while Jasmine and Ella (who was prominently showing off the briefcase) stood behind Chris. The helicopter started and rose into the air, and the host began his final sendoff. "And so ends this very… _very_ weird season." He didn't notice the glares the girls were giving him. "This is Chris McLean saying, if you can't stand the pain, stay away from the game! See you next time, from all of us here on _Total… Drama… PaaaaAAAAAAAAAAHHHH-!_ "

Sammy jumped in surprise as a large hiking boot struck Chris right in the back, causing him to fall right out of the helicopter with a scream. She winced as he landed painfully on the ground, and she turned back to Jasmine in complete surprise.

"What?" she asked when she saw the looks Sammy and Ella were giving her. "The bastard had it coming for _days_."

Getting over their initial shock, the two nodded. "Yeah, he totally did," Sammy agreed.

"Oh, most definitely," Ella said.

Jasmine chuckled and looked back towards the cockpit. "Chef! Take us outta here!"

Chef Hatchet cackled from the pilot's seat and did just that, leaving a _very_ angry Chris McLean to shout at them from below as they flew away. Sammy gripped a nearby handle tightly, and marvelled at the island below them as it became smaller and smaller. Within the canopy of trees, she spotted several clearings, lakes, and rivers. Their old waterfall hangout was above ground as well, and she just barely managed to find the treehouse and the shack before the helicopter took off over the water. Sammy then carefully stood and slid the door shut, and followed Ella and Jasmine as they took their seats.

She plopped down in between Ella and Beardo and released a sigh of contentment. _That's it. We're done. Total Drama is over, and we're the winners. It… It feels_ way _too surreal to be real._

But there was the briefcase, sitting in Ella's lap. Sammy shook her head in amused disbelief - after everything the show tried to throw at them, they still came out on top. It was _mind-boggling_ that it ended up happening. And yet here they were, several times wealthier than they had been not one hour ago. Was that even allowed to happen? To have their normal lives changed so dramatically, so quickly?

Sammy's eyes fell onto Amy, who was chatting with Beardo and Sky about who knew what. _Our lives are already so different from what they used to be. There's no going back to what they were like before. Starting now, everything is brand new, uncharted territory. And I can't wait to see what it has in store for us._

"Hey," Dave suddenly said, turning around to look at the cockpit. "Where are you taking us, anyway? An airport?"

"Oh, good point," Sky said. "Though we still need to get our stuff before we go anywhere, right?"

Chef looked through the doorway with a laugh. "Ah, you don't have to go worryin' about _that_ yet. You guys are _far_ from done!"

The mood _immediately_ tensed when he said that. "W-Wait, there's more?" Sammy asked worriedly.

"Oh, _p_ _lease_ don't tell me this is the lead-up to another season," Ella said in a grimace. "I've had my fair share of this show, thank you very much."

Chef quickly shook his head. "No, no! The show's done and over with for now. I'm saying y'all still have a _week_ left on the resort!"

The mood then did a complete 180 back to excited. Several of the others stood up and cheered, most notably Sammy and Sky who had barely spent any time there at all. Sammy felt a hand tug on her arm, and she turned to Ella who wore a look of surprise. "Resort?" she asked.

"Yeah! Resort!" Sammy answered.

That was all Ella needed, and she broke out into a wide grin and cheered along with everyone else.

Soon the yells died down to manageable levels, and everyone returned to their conversations. Sammy tried to listen in on whatever it was Amy was talking about, but quickly felt Ella's head on her shoulder, and she reactively snuggled up with her.

"I'm so glad I met you," Ella said to her.

"And I'm glad I met _you_ ," Sammy said. "I'm looking forward to us spending time together _without_ having to worry about the game."

"That's what I've been excited about the most." She glanced down and shook the briefcase gently. "And now, we get to see each other pretty much whenever we want."

"That's true," Sammy said. "God, it doesn't feel real."

Ella took one of Sammy's hands and placed it on the briefcase - it was metal, cold in some spots but warm where Ella's own hands had been. "What about now? Does it feel real?"

They laughed as Sammy ran her hand over it. "It… It's actually kinda scary. I've never had so much money before. What am I gonna do with $500,000?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Ella curled up closer to her. "You have alllll the time in the world…"

"I guess I do, don't I?" She paused for a moment to let the reality of actually having money in her bank account wash over her, and then she spoke again. "What's the first thing you're going to do with the money?"

Ella only breathed deeply in response.

Sammy glanced down to see she had completely passed out against her, her chest rising and falling with each breath. Sammy cooed and brushed a few loose strands of hair away from her face. The poor thing must have been exhausted, and probably didn't get a good night's sleep. Now that there was no longer anything major to worry about, her body finally allowed her to relax and she soundlessly drifted off.

She didn't want to disturb her, but she knew Ella leaning on Sammy's shoulder would get uncomfortable for the both of them, so she slowly adjusted Ella so that her head was lying on Sammy's lap. She took the briefcase and kept it at her side, so that the songbird had no obstructions keeping her from a peaceful rest.

Sammy spent a few moments gazing at Ella, before turning her attention elsewhere. Amy was looking at the both of them, and gave Sammy a pleasant smile. "Congrats," she said to her quietly. "You guys… deserve it. Like, honestly."

"Thanks," Sammy said with her own smile. "We couldn't have made it here without you."

That was when Sammy had an idea for how to use a bit of her money. Though she wouldn't tell Amy her decision yet.

She looked to the window, and though it was hard to make out anything given where she was sitting, she still felt her anxieties fly away in the cloudless sky, to parts unknown. No longer did she have to worry about… almost anything, now. She had become exactly the person she had dreamed of being, and there was no going back to her old ways. She had been born anew, and she was going to make every second of it count.

Sammy sighed happily, and not for the first time was thrilled with who she was and the decisions she made.

To audition for Total Drama.

To open up to her new friends.

To give Amy a second chance.

To sacrifice herself for Ella.

To stand by her side, even when Chris tried to tear them apart.

All of those decisions led her to where she was now, to who she was now.

And now that she was content, now that she was in a better place, now that those decisions had led to her changing for the better…

She didn't regret a single one of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comparing the time spent in the challenge and the time just before it and after, the challenge itself is actually pretty short. That's kind of what it was like in canon, but that kinda works here because the majority of the challenge was not the focal point of the chapter. The mountain and the mud pit were not all that important and could get bypassed pretty easily, but the last part of the challenge, meanwhile, was very important.
> 
> Jasmine and Shawn struggling with their relationship was always a given for this story, though as opposed to canon it's reversed - Jasmine wasn't taking Shawn's obsession with zombies seriously enough, considered convincing him to do something more mundane with the money, and alienated him due to those confessionals being aired. She got her revenge on Chris for it (which was also something that had been planned for a while, heheh) but the relationship between her and Shawn is now somewhat troubled.
> 
> Ella is, technically, too nice with the people she likes, and because of that Chris needed something to create drama between her and Sammy. That was why the clips of her confessionals were edited and had things she didn't speak added into them. It was an ultimate test of her and Sammy's relationship, but they were able to overcome it and are now much stronger for it. Also, I added a cute little easter egg for the heck of it near the end there. If you're not sure what it was, go look up the name of Ella's voice actor…
> 
> There's no alternate ending, by the way - Ella was always meant to win. I feel like that would be the natural progression of her growth, to say 'Hey, I'm not just someone you can mock and make fun of, I'm capable in my own right'. The growth of these characters has always been so intriguing to me and I love writing them as they are now.
> 
> You may also be wondering, 'Hey wait, there's way too many loose ends to call this a final chapter!' And you'd be right! That's why I'm happy to say that this will not be the end for this group of teenagers. I have more stories and ideas in the works - at least two follow-up stories, and maybe some side stories that take place at various points on this timeline I've created. Please don't expect them anytime soon, though - they're still in the processing stages and I don't have much work done on them yet. I may even end up working on other stories in the meantime - I have one chapter of a potential story posted on FF.net that I still haven't brought over here yet. But the adventures of Sammy, Ella, Amy and the rest will continue in the future! So be sure to keep an eye out for them!


End file.
